The First Apprentice
by randomdork11
Summary: Formerly "Who In the World Am I" When Hyde and his followers come over from the Land of Untold Stories a familiar face finds himself in Storybrooke. As all hell breaks loose in Storybrooke the heroes will find themselves facing past mistakes in the hopes of finally understanding the difference between light and darkness. Sequel to Second Chances.
1. I Don't Much Care Where

_A/N: What is up!? Hey guys so I revamped this prologue and changed so many things. If you didn't know, this is going to be a sequel to my story Second Chances. That story is not yet complete (almost there!) but this is meant to be a companion piece. If you've never read that one, then it's okay because I will cover everything you need to know here. There will just be more background with the past in that story. Hope you enjoy!_

 _ **Fair Warning: There are spoilers for my story Second Chances. If you don't want to know how that one is going to end just yet, you might want to wait.**_

 _Season 2 in between episodes 15 (The Queen is Dead) and 16 (The Miller's Daughter)_

The pain in his shoulder grew more unbearable by the moment. And despite the shock at her willingness, the savior's resolve to save him provided the Rumpelstiltskin with little comfort. He was dying. The poison racing through his veins assured that much. More than that though, he was heading into the worst possible situation, stumbling headfirst into his greatest fear.

Cora had the dagger.

With it she could force him to do whatever she wished. Any wish, fancy, or unholy desire she could imagine, and he would have no choice. With his son finally in his grasp, Rumpelstiltskin was far too aware of the danger they faced. What if his ex-lover discovered Belle?

It took every ounce of his considerable will power to pull himself together in that moment. Poison or not, his power was only as good as the one who wielded it. Power like his had loopholes galore to manipulate if one was clever enough to see them. And Rumpelstiltskin was nothing if not clever.

He needed to speak to the woman currently threatening his very existence. If he could get Cora to back down for a few moments, the imp knew he could work out a way to stop the poison. Then he could deal with the Queen of Hearts.

His decision made, the pawnbroker turned to the savior. "Mrs. Swan," he called Gold as she made to leave the crew's quarters of the stolen pirate ship, "can you hand me my phone?" The woman in question turned back to face him a questioning look on her face.

"Where is it?" she asked cautiously.

"In the left jacket pocket of my coat," he answered, pointing to the bloodied heap lying on the floor close to his bed.

Reluctantly, Emma shifted through the jacket and grabbed the elusive item. She started to hand the phone over but stopped halfway through the movement. "Who are you calling?" she asked suspiciously.

An impish smile crossed the Dark One's face as he considered the princess standing over him. _Perhaps she does have more brains than her either of her parents,_ he thought silently. "I'm calling Regina, so I can talk to Cora," he explained in a moment of surprising honesty. "I want to know what her game is and how she found out about my dagger."

Emma scowled as if she didn't like the idea but consented nonetheless. "Fine, but I'm staying right here. I'd prefer to know up front when you plan to sell us out."

"I'm hurt that you think so little of me, Mrs. Swan," the dying man quipped, "I thought we knew one another better than that."

To her credit the savior simply smirked back at him before handing over the phone. Cora picked up on the third ring, "Rumple dearest, it's so nice to hear from you."

"Can't say the same to you Cora. Why ever are you answering Regina's phone?" Rumpelstiltskin inquired. doing his best to keep his voice level.

"We both know I'm the one you wished to talk to dear," the Queen of Hearts answered sweetly. "Were you able to find your long-lost son?"

The imp ignored the barb with ease but felt a bit of panic gather around him. "This isn't a social call dearie. Are you really going to break a deal with me?" he queried, his voice dangerously close to the high pitch of the imp he'd once been.

Cora answered his question with one of her own. "To which deal are you referring darling?"

"The one in which we called a truce," the imp growled. He received a glare that he promptly ignored from Emma for that answer.

"Oh, that one, if I recall I simply offered you a piece of merchandise in return for your agreement to leave me alone. I thought I was in keeping with my end. Either way did you really expect me to keep such a deal after discovering the source of all you power was a simple knife?" The Queen taunted.

"You're playing a very dangerous game dearie,"

"Am I? By the looks of this silly little knife, you haven't got much time left in this world. Besides I'm doing you a favor," Cora laughed. "I'll rid you of all your darkness."

"What by killing me? No thank you." A hiss escaped before he could stop it, as Rumpelstiltskin shifted slightly to alleviate his aching chest.

"You don't sound so good Rumple," fake concern dripped from her words and the imp didn't need to see her to know which ridiculous pout she'd be wearing.

"How did you find out about the dagger?" he asked cutting to the quick of the matter.

"Oh that," Cora paused for a moment for effect, "I met one of your old apprentices when you sent me to that annoying little world. Wonderland is full of interesting people you know. But I'm afraid that by the time I met him, he was quite mad."

"The Hatter was never my apprentice dearie, only a tool. Stop lying."

"Not the Hatter Rumple. No, this charming young thing claimed to have been your first apprentice. Of course, I found that fascinating since I believed myself to have been the first." Cora paused once more, allowing the identity to sink in. "He was perfectly willing to share that little piece of information about the dagger and its uses with me. For a price of course." Rumple's blood went cold at the realization and he couldn't help the shocked expression that settled on his face. Emma looked at him expecting answers, but he just shook his head. "What's the matter Rumple," Cora's voice called through the phone, "cat got your tongue?"

He hung up the phone quickly and threw it against the wall, surprising the savior with his sudden outburst. "Whoa Gold, chill out," she advised as the man in question grimaced in pain from the sudden movement. "What was that all about?"

"We're in trouble Mrs. Swan."

* * *

 _On the way back from Neverland. Season 3 ep 10_

Regina stood at the bow of the flying ship deep in thought as she watched the passing scenery. She didn't notice the figure beside her until it startled her by speaking. "I need to ask you something," her former mentor insisted startling the Queen.

"Damn it Rumple, you scared me," Regina responded breathlessly. "What do you want?"

"I haven't gotten the opportunity to ask, what with one crisis after the next, but before she died your mother said something to me that I've been wondering about it," the imp explained leaning against the ship's railing next to her. It would do no good to beat around the bush and he had to know. If Henry hadn't been his undoing, he had a decent guess as to who another boy might be.

"What'd she say?" she questioned turning to face the Dark One.

"Cora mentioned someone she knew during her time in Wonderland, someone from my past as well. I wanted to know if you brought this person over during the curse. You had to specify to bring Jefferson and the few others from Wonderland, who else did you bring from that realm?" Rumpelstiltskin asked cautiously. He still didn't trust his one time student, but out of all the people aboard the _Jolly Roger_ (his son and grandson excluded) he knew he could at least get an honest answer from her. If he asked properly.

"I just brought the Hatter and that knave that my mother always went on about. No one else," the Queen sighed eyes turning away from him and back towards the horizon. Regina disliked the topic of her previous failings, especially after her efforts in Neverland, but he needed to know.

"You're certain you brought no one else over?" he asked once more allowing a severity to climb into his tone.

"Of course, I'm certain. What's this about Rumple? Who did my mother mention?" she asked curiosity and a bit of fear dictating her now. If her old mentor was frightened by someone she was concerned, especially after Pan.

"No one, it's fine," Rumpelstiltskin answered as he turned away and walked back tow the Charmings and his son. Hopefully she would chalk up this conversation to his paranoia over being in Pandora's Box or blame it all on stress from their trip to Neverland. Hopefully he was done facing the demons of his past. If there was anything resembling good luck for him, his former apprentice would remain lost to Wonderland.

The boy who still occupied a constant presence in the Dark One's nightmares, could be his final undoing. And now that he'd faced his father, begun reconciliation with Bae, and found a tentative place in this crazy family, he had no desire to ever see that boy again. Back in Storybrooke Belle was waiting for him and hopefully he could finally become the man he so desperately wanted to be.

Unfortunately for Rumpelstiltskin he had too long of a past, far too many demons, and absolutely no luck.

 _A/N: Okay so that's prologue done! This is going to be a full ensemble story, but it will have more focus on Rumpelstiltskin and Belle. It's also a season 6 rewrite. So, expect some familiar scenes with new twists and plots that hopefully deal with some of the issues I experienced with that season. This will be my largest undertaking yet, so please have patience with my crazy and sometimes unreliable update schedule._

 _Thanks for reading! As always let me know what you think in the reviews/comments and I will see you guys in the next chapter!_


	2. Uncommon Nonsense

_A/N: Hey again! So, if you recognize the first little part of this chapter, it's because it is my old prologue. I made a few updates and edits so it's a bit different, but not by much. I'm planning on longer chapters for this story so buckle up everyone. Hope you guys enjoy._

A young man of about twenty walked through the front door at Granny's about the time Henry Mills finished his hamburger. The stranger looked around with an obvious, and now-a-days quite common, look of shock evident on his face. _Another new face from the Land of Untold Stories_ , Henry thought to himself. After taking a final sip of his soda, the precocious teenager stood and walked up to the newest visitor in Storybrooke.

"Hi! You must be new in town," Henry observed brightly as he moved to stand beside the stranger. The young man's head snapped to Henry's face as the Mayor's son stuck out his hand. "My name's Henry, nice to meet you."

For a moment the outsider looked down at Henry's outstretched hand in confusion, but then a wide grin split his face as he seemed to finally understand the greeting. "Hello Henry," the youth replied shaking the other boy's hand enthusiastically.

"You look a little lost and overwhelmed. You from the Land of Untold Stories?" Henry had gotten rather acquainted with this particular line of questioning over the past several days. It had taken a while for the residents from the Land of Untold Stories to gather enough courage to leave the woods. Now every day or so someone new and unfamiliar would pop up at Granny's. However, after the initial influx of story book characters in the first two days, things had slowed down a bit. Things were close to settling back to normal, at least on this end. Not all of those who'd ventured here had wanted to be plucked from Hyde's world. Some needed help figuring out where their stories could go now that they found themselves in Storybrooke.

"I am," the young man answered, "Are you the welcoming committee?"

"I guess you could say that," Henry laughed.

"So, this is Storybrooke?" the boy inquired. "It's rather odd and different from what I'd expected."

"It is," Henry answered with a surprised smile. "Most of the new people we've had knew nothing about Storybrooke."

"Yes, well," a coy glint lit the stranger's eyes, "not all of us were completely ignorant about Hyde's plans. He said it was a land of second chances. I've been looking forward to it."

A queer feeling pricked at the hairs on Henry's neck. While everything in him wanted to like young man, it was odd that he seemed to be in on Hyde's plans. Shaking such feelings, Henry pointed out the booth he'd so recently vacated. "Why don't you join me for a quick meal and I'll fill you in on Stroybrooke."

As the young stranger accepted the offer and sat down, Henry looked over his latest find. Noticing the newcomer immediately, Ruby wandered over almost as soon as they took their seats and began explaining the menu to Henry's compatriot. The young man couldn't be more than five or six years Henry's senior, yet his youthful face held lines that only time could draw. His hair was almost pitch black and sat in a messy mop on top of his head, looking as if it hadn't been brushed in quite some time. His face was thin with high cheekbones providing an almost gaunt appearance. But his bright green eyes promised a great deal of mischief and humor. Similar to his mismatched appearance, the young man's clothes were an intriguing mixture of tattered and pristine. His black cloak looked exceedingly well-worn, yet the dark purple tunic and black trousers seemed to be almost new. The stranger seemed to ooze a strange sense of confidence and there was something vaguely familiar about some of his gestures.

There was definitely something about the young man that drew Henry in. Making him want to like and trust this stranger. However, the Truest Believer had learned the hard way that not every stranger you meet is a good one.

"So, hamburgers? They're good?" the other boy questioned disbelievingly.

Henry couldn't help the smile that drew across his lips. "Granny's are. She makes the best burgers in town, though her lasagna is a little over praised."

"What's lasagna?"

"Well get to that later," the mayor's son snorted. The other young man nodded, confusion still plainly playing across his face. "Do you have a name?" At that question the stranger looked a bit uncomfortable, so Henry tried another route. "Forget that for now, where were you from before the Land of Untold Stories?"

"Wonderland," the stranger answered simply.

"That's awesome," Henry gushed unable to contain his excitement.

"Obviously you've never been there," the young man quipped. "It's annoying little world."

"That's what my mom and grandpa always say," Henry conceded. "Do you know Jefferson then?"

"The Hatter?"

"That's the one," Henry confirmed. "He's here along with one or two others from Wonderland."

"The Hatter's a good man. Last we talked he was separated from his daughter and trying to get back to her." the stranger implored.

"She's here too! Grace is a friend of mine. I'll have to reintroduce you guys." Excitement boiled through Henry's veins as he considered the connections the young man across from him already had in Storybrooke. Maybe this fairytale character would actually be simple and easy to get settled in. "So why did you decide to come to Storybrooke?" He probed, getting straight down to business.

"Like I said, I'm looking for a second chance at things," the younger man responded fixing Henry with a steady gaze. "Wonderland… well I wasn't ever meant to be in Wonderland. An unfortunate set of events landed me there and… I, I'd hoped that the Land of Untold Stories could help me rebuild myself. Unfortunately, that land is nothing but an eternal middle. I learned a lot and spent some time researching other realms, but nothing progresses there. Everything is stagnate. So, when Hyde offered the opportunity to leave, I jumped on it. Now here I am."

"That's awesome! Not everyone who ended up here wanted to come along," Henry disclosed. "I'm glad to know that at least a few people came willingly. And Hyde was right in saying that this is a place for new beginnings. My mom used to be a villain, along with others, but now she's the mayor of Storybrooke. Things change here, and we want to try and help everyone who came over."

The stranger nodded as he took in the hope that seemed to bubble off of Henry. "Many of us were frightened that Hyde wouldn't be able to keep such a promise. I'm glad to know this wasn't all in vain. If you don't mind my asking, who was your mother?"

Henry hesitated for a moment. People didn't always take it well when they found out that the former Evil Queen was now in charge of their small corner of Maine, but this stranger would find out sooner or later. "She was the Evil Queen in the Enchanted Forest. She's better now though. My mom's worked hard to become a hero, to get another shot at doing the right thing. To get a second chance." He added the last hoping that it would resonate with someone so intent on finding his own new path.

Surprisingly the young man accepted that news without a hitch. "Your mother is Queen Regina, daughter of the Queen of Hearts?"

Henry nodded, "Yep. But don't worry about the Queen of Hearts. Cora isn't around anymore." A telling look must have snuck across his face while thinking of Cora because the stranger's eyebrows rose instantly.

"Sounds like there's a story there," the young man predicted with a dashing smile.

"Oh there is," the Author acknowledged.

When it became apparent that Henry was lost in his thoughts the stranger probed further. "Care to share it?"

A long sigh filled the silence between them before the Truest Believer decided to share his tale. "Snow White was kind of responsible for her death," Henry admitted begrudgingly. He fiddled with the straps of his back pack as the other young man digested that information.

The young man let out a low whistle, "I thought Snow White was one of the good guys?"

"She is," Henry exclaimed hurriedly. "She just went about things the wrong way…. Well kinda." When the stranger quirked an eyebrow at that Henry continued. "She did it to save someone else. When it came down to it, she decided that Cora was more dangerous at the time. So, Snow White traded Cora's life for another."

"Someone important I hope."

"Kind of," Henry reasoned. "At the time Rumpelstiltskin seemed to be the safer choice."

At the mention of the Dark One's name the strangers face went pale. "Well she was wrong to think that." Fear lacing his words, the young man asked another question. "So the Dark One is here?"

By this point Henry was quite familiar with such reactions to his grandfather, but the boy across from him seemed to have personal experience with the type of fear generally inspired by the Dark One. "He is. Hyde said Rumple handed Storybrooke over to him. I thought you guys would know that that's how Hyde got you here."

"He mentioned something like that," the stranger relented. "But he made it sound as if the Dark One wasn't going to be in Storybrooke. That he was away in a different realm."

"He'll return soon. As soon as he wakes Belle, I'm sure. But look you don't have to worry about him," Henry assured, leaning in towards the stranger. "If he gives you any trouble, talk to me. I have some pull with him."

"You have pull with the Dark One?" the stranger questioned, disbelief evident in his tone.

"I do."

The two sat in companionable silence as Ruby delivered the stranger's food. Apparently the kid loved hamburgers because he devoured the thing with little hesitation.

"What kind of history do you have with Rumpelstiltskin" Henry queried after a while, hoping that this time it might just be his grandfather's reputation that scared a stranger.

A dark look glinted across the young man's face causing Henry to once again feel as though there might be something off about the stranger. "He might have turned me into a cat for an extended period of time."

"Oh," He replied slowly unsure of how exactly to respond to that. "That is unfortunate." Recalling the boy's earlier words about how he'd ended up in Wonderland, an idea began tickling the edges of Henry's mind.

"You could say that," the boy laughed.

As a ridiculously large and crazed smile stretched across the stranger's face the idea clicked into place. A young stranger with a creepy smile who'd spent many years in Wonderland as cat. There was only one person that could be. "Are you the Cheshire cat?" Henry asked excitedly, all previous discomfort flying from him as he put together the puzzle pieces.

Mischief glimmered from the light green eyes as the stranger gave his companion an appraising look. "You're a keen one, aren't you? Right in one Henry."

"That's so cool!" Henry gushed. "Do you go by Cheshire?"

"That's my name, but you can call me Ches."

After Ches regaled him with several stories of Wonderland, Henry admitted it was about time to actually help the young man instead of badgering him with questions. With all the newcomers in town Granny's was booked, but there had to be something. Even if it meant Ches spent some time staying at the manor or the Loft, Henry refused to let his new friend go without.

"We can talk to my mom, she'll know what to do about getting you a place to stay," Henry said as he led Cheshire down Main street.

"Henry, can I ask a favor of you?" Ches began uneasily. His eyes darted about as they walked down the street in plain view of all.

"Sure, what's up?"

"It's just… I don't really want many people knowing I'm here if that's okay."

"You're worried about something?"

"Someone."

Henry took a deep breath as he realized the reason behind Ches's furtive glances and nervous gait. "Seriously, don't worry about Rumplestiltskin, Ches. The people I'm taking you to can protect you. If it makes you feel better, we can even make it to where he can't get anywhere near you. I promise."

Cheshire stopped and turned to face his compatriot. Locking a penetrating gaze on Henry, the stranger tilted his head. "You'd help me over your own family?"

"He's my grandfather by blood, but we've never been what you might call family. I'm not sure he knows how to be a part of one."

The earnest honesty must have convinced him because Ches gave Henry a relieved smile. "Thank you, Henry. It's nice to have friend you can count on.

* * *

Cheshire followed the boisterous young man as they walked up to an immaculate manor home settled in a rather impressive collection of such houses. The young sorcerer noticed the familiar tingle as he passed through protective wards. Strong wards, he noted. _This must be the home of the former Evil Queen_ , the youth thought.

As if he'd heard the newcomer's thoughts Henry called out, "This is my mom's house. Well one of them at least." The following smirk indicated that this was some kind of private joke for the kid.

"It's really nice," Ches observed as the walked up the front path.

"Yeah, well I guess if you take the time to curse several realms into a single location you make sure you'll be comfortable," the mayor's son replied sheepishly.

"Perks of being the Evil Queen. You're really going to have to bring me up to speed on current events."

Henry quirked a mischievous grin as Cheshire followed his new friend through the front door. The inside of the home was, if possible, even more impeccable than the outside. A grand staircase led from the foyer to other levels of the house. Right off the entrance was a doorway that led to a comfortable sitting room that was attached to a pristine dinning room and one of the largest kitchens Ches had seen outside of a castle. The Evil Queen was obviously used to a grander lifestyle in the Enchanted Forest and it seemed that such a lifestyle translated well in the Land Without Magic.

While Cheshire's eyes wanted to bug out of his head at some of the oddities he encountered here in Storybrooke, he maintained a sense of polite curiosity as he scrutinized the Evil Queen's lair. He had a mission in this land and he couldn't be distracted by such frivolities just yet.

"Mom," Henry called to the empty sitting room. "I'm home." When no one answered the boy walked through the house with his tag along. "I've got someone you need to meet!"

Cheshire surveyed each room with patient care as he pursued his guide. The chance to see where the Evil Queen lived was invaluable. The perfect opportunity to see what made the formidable woman tick.

Suddenly the two companions nearly ran into a stunning woman with dark hair. Well molded cheekbones and a perfectly sculpted chin gave the woman a look that befitted a queen. But it was her poise and manner that denoted her as a member of the nobility. She carried herself with a confident air that was breed into such individuals. Yet surprisingly, her eyes held none of the cold calculation Ches had expected to find in Cora's daughter. Instead the amber irises held an earnest kindness that turned to sheer fondness when they locked on Henry. The warm smile that crossed her face left Ches with little doubt as to he was looking at. Henry's next words merely confirmed the fact, "Hey mom," the teenager spoke with such comfortable ease to the vile woman.

"Henry, I wasn't expecting you," the Queen's voice held as much warmth as her smile had.

"I know," the boy responded cheekily. "I met someone who needs a little extra help."

For seemingly the first time the Queen's gaze fell upon the stranger in her midst. Yet again Cheshire was surprised with the sheer friendliness he found there. "And who are you?" She asked the epitome of politeness.

Cheshire hitched a look of nervous innocence onto his face, "The name is Cheshire. And I presume that you are Mayor Mills?" he framed the last as a question, but he needed no further proof.

An intriguing look crossed the Queen's face at that address, something like hope perhaps. "Regina," she corrected. "Cheshire? You wouldn't happen to have spent some time in Wonderland, would you?"

Of course, she knew of him, there were few who didn't. Letting his trademark grin cross his face he gave the Queen a mocking bow, "Cheshire the former cat at your service Your Majesty. Though I fear I may be of little actual service in this new land."

Regina's smile faltered a bit at the old-world title, but only for a moment. "Well welcome to Storybrooke. It's good to have you."

Apparently deciding he'd been quiet for too long, Henry interjected. "We were hoping you could help us find somewhere for him to stay. Granny's is pretty much booked and Ches has a bit of a past with Mr. Gold. So, we can't set him up at the apartments."

Regina smirked in a manner he was sure had become habit as the Evil Queen. "You have a history with Gold, why am I not surprised." Before Ches could ask anymore about this Mr. Gold, she continued, "I'm actually heading to a meeting at Granny's right now. We can figure something out there. We're gathering anyone from the Land of Untold Stories we can to help integrate them into Storybrooke. We'll have lessons on technology and common customs at the library every Monday and Wednesday night if you're interested."

"I'd like that very much," Ches answered providing the Queen with what was certain to be a charming and grateful smile.

* * *

Regina had decided it would be best to walk to Granny's. Cheshire was unfamiliar with cars and it didn't seem like the best time to introduce him. There was also the added bonus of having time to clear her head as she rehearsed the speech she'd painstakingly prepared. She wasn't the Evil Queen anymore, that darkness had no longer had a hold on her. It was time to do things properly.

"You okay mom?" Henry questioned, pausing in his constant chatter with his new friend.

Regina almost answered with a hearty yes that would have been completely fake, but something in Henry's eyes stopped her. He was far too clever for his own good and she knew exactly where he got those genes from. "I'm a bit nervous," she answered honestly.

"You've got this. The town believes in you, they elected you, all you have to do is welcome the newcomers."

"The newcomers who probably only know me as the Evil Queen," Regina pointed out.

"Mom-"

"If I may," Cheshire interjected falling into step on the other side of Regina. "These people come from a land of eternal middle. They were there for a reason and for most of them it wasn't a good one. Even if they know you as the Evil Queen, most are likely to believe you've changed. Plus, you have to be better than Hyde," he added the last with a maddening wink that left Regina feeling older than she had in years.

"What if they only see the darkness?" Regina asked not realizing her mouth had spoken the words until they were out.

"To be frank," Cheshire persisted, "I knew your mother. The Queen of Hearts was a formidable woman steeped in darkness. And you, Mayor Mills, are no Cora."

"Just be you and they'll listen," Henry insisted. "Show them that they don't have to be afraid,"

A chuckle escaped the former Evil Queen as she watched the two boys feed off of one another. "I can see the two of you becoming a lot more trouble than I can handle."

They shot her identical smug grins. It was nice seeing Henry with a friend close to his own age. A friend who wasn't a girl, who could understand some of what he might be going through. A surge of warmth spread through her that was directed towards the young stranger. She would help this boy in anyway she could if it meant that Henry had a friend.

The two boys turned to her as they stopped outside the patio at Granny's. "Okay mom you ready for this?" Henry asked in that unreservedly encouraging way of his.

"Yeah," she sighed trying her best to fake a confidence she didn't feel. "Everyone listened to me before, because I was the Evil Queen. But now I'm going to show them that I'm just as strong without her."

"Remember what we're calling it, Operation Cobra Part 2," her son reminded, handing the story book over to her.

"Part 2?"

"Yeah this time you're the hero," he answered placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

A grin of affection split her face as she turned it on her son.

"Your Majesty it's about time," the insufferable pirate chimed in as they walked into the diner. He leaned lazily against the counter next to Emma. The two really did make quite the pair. Her guileless light and his passionate darkness. "The rabble are getting restless."

"Who's this?" came Emma's voice distracting the Mayor from her purpose.

Thankfully Henry saved her the need for making introductions. Emma and Snow gave Cheshire a gracious welcome, but Regina couldn't help but notice a sudden tension in the pirate as he shook the newcomers hand. A glance of familiarity passed between the two. So, Hook knew Cheshire, wasn't that interesting. They had both spent time in Wonderland –

But this wasn't the time for that. This was the moment she was meant to sooth and comfort the people from the Land of Untold Stories. She'd made speeches a plenty during her tenure as both the Evil Queen and the Mayor of Storybrooke. It was a skill that her mother ingrained in her since she was old enough to speak. But this time, she had to manage without an ounce of the darkness that had plagued her for so long. She had none of the sharpness to call on and nowhere to place the blame if she became too prickly. But Regina had never been one to run away from a challenge.

Clearing her throat noisily, the mayor dropped the story book down hard on the counter. The loud thump it made quieted the room. She took a deep breath and threw on a hopefully comforting smile. Thinking back on what Henry and his friend had told her, Regina threw out her carefully rehearsed speech and spoke from the heart.

"As Mayor, I would like to welcome you to Storybrooke." Turning to pick the book up once more she continued, "You fled to the Land of Untold Stories because you were afraid that whatever was in this book is going to play out. But now that you're here I'm sure you're scared at will. But what you don't realize is, I'm just like you. I'm also getting a fresh start. And I don't know what the future holds either, but I do know one thing. We don't have to be afraid of anything because whatever comes next, we're going to face it. Together."

* * *

Belle moved down Main Street with a purpose. She hadn't paid Rumple any heed as she exited the portal. There was nothing left to say, and she desperately needed a moment to simply to be alone. An hour taking stock of her library provided the beauty with the perfect opportunity to throw herself into a task while her mind worked out her latest problem. She would stand by what she had said at Morpheus's temple. There was no home for her and Rumpelstiltskin here. Belle couldn't allow herself to fall into her ex-husband's trap again.

He'd done little but hurt her since they'd woken from Regina's original curse. To the point that now, even their unborn child hated him. How could she stay with someone who so frightened her son?

Belle concluded that she would have to break out on her own. Find a way to sustain her and her child by herself, she couldn't depend on Rumpelstiltskin any longer. She had a job with a reliable income, Belle reasoned. All she needed now was somewhere to stay. The library apartment and the Victorian were out of the question, both holding too many connections to her ex-husband. Granny's then.

With her mind made up, the beauty crossed Main Street with a purpose. A large crowd had already gathered within the diner by the time she walked in.

"Hey, uh, does anyone know- "

"Belle?!" Emma exclaimed. The young beauty sighed with a smile at the Savior's surprise. "You're here and you're awake.

She saw the heads of all the heroes look at her in turn. Snow alerting Charming and Regina to her presence. All with various stages of pleasant surprise on their face. As Regina directed Henry's gaze over, Belle noticed an unfamiliar young man seated beside him. The young man in question fixed her with penetrating stare that left her ever so slightly uncomfortable.

Shaking off these reactions the beauty looked to Emma. "Yeah and I need a place to stay."

"What about the Crocodile?" Killian interjected.

"We're uh, we're not together at the moment," she stammered in answer. "So, I thought maybe Granny would have a room." She felt the familiar pang in her chest that now crept up anytime she spoke of her True Love. The continuous ache that symbolized the place where her heart once was whole. But she couldn't think on that anymore. Her love for Rumpelstiltskin could no longer blind her. She had a child to think about now. A child she couldn't submit to his darkness. The determined bookworm let none of her internal struggle show. That wasn't an option at the moment, she could break down later if necessary.

"What about the library?" Snow chimed in. "Can't you stay there?"

Belle managed to shake her head and say the words easily enough, but it felt like admitting weakness to her friends. "He gave me that. I can't... I can't stay there. I need to be on my own for a bit. Find out who I am without him."

It was Emma who broke the awkward silence that followed. "Well, I would not wish Granny's mattresses on my worst enemy. We'll find you something better." Emma laughed as she saw Granny shoot her a withering glare before turning back to her other patrons.

"Aye," Killian jumped in, "and I know just the place." The two shared a look that left Belle feeling terribly lonely for the briefest of moments. "What do you say Swan?" the pirate offered moving to lead the way out of the diner.

"Oh, I…" the sheriff admitted slowly turning to face Killian, "I have an appointment with Archie."

The pirate's smirk screamed _I told you so_ in a manner that only he could manage to make attractive instead of off putting. "Ah, you're still going to see the cricket? I'm impressed."

"Did you think I was going to back out?"

"Well, you know, being vulnerable isn't exactly your strong suit," Killian acknowledged providing his very vulnerable looking True Love and encouraging smile.

"You're right. We've been through a lot, can't hurt to talk about it."

"I'm glad to hear that love." Belle spent the entire conversation pretending she couldn't hear a word of what the two lovers were saying. When in reality such a discussion was one she'd hoped to have with her own True Love many times over. Maybe if she'd pushed it like Killian had things would be different. "Right this lady needs to find some accommodation." Killian's proclamation pulled the beauty from her thoughts and back to the present. "Right this way," the pirate said offering her the lead.

But before they could leave, inspiration seemed to strike Regina. "Belle," the mayor called stopping the two in their tracks. "The library apartment..." realizing that she was on potentially dangerous ground Regina hesitated for a single second before proceeding head first. "I mean if you aren't staying there, would you be interested in renting it out? That way you have a little income and we have a place for someone to stay."

"Granny's is booked," Charming added from her side. Obviously those two had been having a conversation of their own, while Belle spoke with Killian.

Uncertainty flooded the beauty at the thought of someone else living there. Seeing that the librarian was on the edge, Henry spoke up, "It would be for a friend. Someone who has nowhere else to go right now. He could even help you with the library."

"He?" the beauty questioned, giving her a moment to review her own feelings towards such a proposal. Having an assistant at the library would be helpful, especially with a child on the way. But for someone to live in the place where so many painfully beautiful memories existed for her –

"I think they mean me," the youth Belle had noticed earlier prompted as he stepped forward.

The youth had a strange familiarity about him. As if she'd met him before. Framed by a messy mop of black hair, his eyes were bright and alight with intelligence. If it wasn't for the height difference and green eyes, she'd say he and Henry could be related. The young man was dressed in an elegant purple tunic and black leather breeches that spoke of wealth. Only his tarnished travelling cloak stood in stark contrast to the well-cut figure of a gentleman in training. A large dimpled smile that spoke of endless mischief spread easily across the lean face, giving the boy a dangerously reckless look.

"And you are," Belle asked realizing she'd been quiet for longer than was proper.

"Name's Cheshire," the young man disclosed boldly as he stuck out a hand in greeting. "Who might you be?"

Belle accepted the proffered hand with a smile. Despite the initial nagging that something was off about the young man, she rather liked his straightforward nature. "It's Belle," she replied.

"Beautiful name for a beautiful woman," Cheshire acknowledged with a dashing smile.

One snicker from Henry and an eye roll from Emma later, Regina interrupted the greeting, "Okay Casanova back it down." Ches threw a wink at Belle before sliding back to stand beside Henry once again. "The kid needs a place to stay. Granny's is booked and with everything going on with Hyde and Zelena right now, I can't leave him at my place. If he works for you, can he stay in the apartment?"

Between the pleading looks from Regina and Henry and the rather endearing smirk from Cheshire, Belle couldn't possibly say no. "I have been wanting an assistant," she admitted finally to general relief from the surrounding heroes. "I need to grab my stuff from the apartment, but there isn't much left. Would you like to see it now?"

"I'd love to," Cheshire answered. "I'll catch you later Henry?"

The mayor's son gave an enthusiastic nod, "I'm meeting a friend back here for lunch if you're interested. At noon."

"I'll be here," the other young man consented.

With a few more parting words Belle, the pirate, and Cheshire left the diner. Not paying full attention Belle almost walked into a tall man with long blonde hair as she exited Granny's. "Sorry," she mumbled as she passed.

* * *

Killian watched the former cat as he walked alongside Belle. The young man was busy chattering away with the bookworm asking questions about the library and the various oddities he'd noticed in Storybrooke. It was quite the act. Even Hook might have thought him charming.

"Regina certainly doesn't seem like she was once the Evil Queen," Cheshire was saying. "She's quite kind and Henry seems to be the good sort."

Belle smiled kindly at the young man, but unless he was mistaken, the smile didn't quite meet her eyes. There was a weariness about the young beauty that he wasn't accustomed to. Perhaps that was all it was. "Well she went through a lot to change. It wasn't easy for her, but she really is trying. And Henry is good kid. One of the best I know."

"Seems like a close-knit community. Was it like this in the Enchanted Forest?" Cheshire asked as they stopped at the cross walk.

"I wouldn't exactly know," the beauty replied. "My father's duchy was quite a nice community, but Avonlea was a such a small place. I never saw much else of the Enchanted Forest, not after…"

Belle tapered off and Killian could imagine why. The woman had been Rumpelstiltskin's prisoner after she left her home. Then she'd been Regina's prisoner after that. She knew much about the various cages in the Enchanted Forest but little about its inhabitants.

"After what?" Pure curiosity seeped from the young man's lips to all who cared to listen. Yet the pirate knew Cheshire well enough to pick up on the calculating lilt to his voice.

"I made a deal with the Dark One. It didn't end well for me," Belle admitted quietly as they reached the library doors.

Cheshire placed what was surely meant to be a comforting hand on the woman's shoulder and fixed her with a serious expression. "I did too." At least that much was honest. Hook rolled his eyes as the boy spoke again in a parody of consolation that seemed to fool the bookworm. "But here in Storybrooke we can start over. That's what everyone keeps telling me at least. The Dark One can't hurt you here."

"I wish that were true," Belle replied unlocking the door and letting them into the library. "So, the apartment is up the back stairs. Just this way."

A stroll through the bookcases and one rickety set of stairs later and the three found themselves in a quaint one bedroom flat. A kitchen and sitting room made up the largest portion of the space, with a small bedroom and washroom attached to the side. Piles of hastily folded clothes lay strewn around the apartment and only a handful of personal artifacts remained.

"I haven't been back up here since…" the beauty began as she quickly threw all of the clothes into a single pile. "Well it's been a while."

"I like it!" the former cat exclaimed as he traversed the space with ease. "All I have to do is help you with the library?"

"That will be more help than you know." Killian didn't miss the way her hand fell to her stomach at that comment and he shared a solemn look with the bookworm. Cheshire apparently oblivious to anything but his new home, missed the exchange entirely.

"And you don't want to stay here? You're certain?" Ches called over as he took interest in something on one of the in tables.

"No, I… I can't. But the furniture and everything can stay. I've no need of it."

Cheshire nodded and continued his perusal of the flat.

"Give you a hand love?" Killian queried, speaking for the first time since Granny's.

"Is that meant to be a joke," Belle snorted.

"Only if you take it that way," he replied with a saucy wink.

The two made busied themselves packing various odd and ends into a small trunk that Belle procured from the bedroom closet. No one spoke as Ches joined in to help pack things away. Until–

"Who's this?" Cheshire inquired picking up a photo that had apparently fallen from the pages of a book.

A quick glance revealed three people sitting in a booth at Granny's smiling up at the camera. In a bright blue blouse and looking utterly unperturbed at the interruption was Belle. Her smile bright and easy, spoke of pure joy. Next to her sat Rumpelstiltskin, crisp as ever in a tailored suit, giving a begrudging smile to the cameraman. But even Killian could see happiness etched across the crocodile's face. Across from the two sat a dark haired man with surprisingly neat hair and warm brown eyes. His face was frozen in a laugh that seemed to be directed at Rumpelstiltskin's discomfort. With a jolt Killian realized that even Baelfire looked content in that moment.

A small gasp pulled Killian from his observations. Belle gently took the photo from Cheshire and looked down at it with fondness. "I thought we'd lost this after Zelena." Tears that refused to fall filled the beauty's eyes. She turned those sorrowful blue eyes on Killian who could think of absolutely nothing to say.

Without realizing that he'd done so he moved forward and put his arms around Belle. "It's okay love, it's okay."

Cheshire had the grace to look mildly uncomfortable as the two friends shared a moment of apparent grief. Despite the discomfort, Killian could see the cogs turning in the young man's head. The boy knew exactly who he'd just seen.

"I'm sorry Killian," came Belle's voice muffled by tears and his leather jacket. "I just… I don't know what to do. Neal…"

"I miss him too," was the only comfort Hook could provide. He did miss Baelfire, more than he could admit to anyone but Emma. But he was far too biased to provide the beauty with any kind of relationship advice. "We'll give you a moment okay," he whispered pulling himself away from Belle.

To his relief she nodded. Grabbing Cheshire by the arm, he hauled the young man out the door and back down the questionable staircase. Once at the bottom he gave the youth a rough shove.

"Alright what gives?" It took all the will power he possessed to keep his voice low as he stared angrily at the feline turned boy.

Thankfully Ches dropped all pretense of obliviousness. "I think you know Captain." The warm and charming boy from a moment ago was gone, replaced by the cold and calculating predator Killian knew so well.

"I think you best speak plainly boy," Hook challenged.

"We both know I'm no boy," Cheshire countered as he began circling the pirate.

"Why are you here Cheshire?"

"I'm here to rid this town of its most pressing problem."

Killian's stomach sank, knowing that the boy was, at the moment, being honest. "The Crocodile?"

"Aye the Dark One," Cheshire responded lazily. His eyes flicked slowly across Hook's face as the young man sized up his opponent. It didn't take much imagination for the pirate to fancy a long tail swaying easily back and forth. "You going to stand in my way?"

Time most certainly wasn't on the good captain's side. He should have said something to Emma as soon as he'd seen Ches in the diner, but there hadn't been an opportunity. Killian had needed to know what the cat's plan was. Now he did, and it was time to make a decision. Stand aside and let the boy do his work or alert the others.

Thinking back to Belle's earlier distress and her insistence that she and the Dark One weren't together, Killian knew the Crocodile was short on allies at the moment. The heroes had bigger things to worry about, what with the new crowd from the Land of Untold Stories causing issues and Hyde, the latest villain of the week. Then there was the fact that Hyde apparently had a bone to pick with the Dark One as well.

Killian could attempt to stand in Cheshire's way right now. But the younger man was an accomplished sorcerer and would most certainly be able to end Hook with ease. Alternatively, he could offer his silence and then betray the little bastard. But the likelihood of Cheshire discovering who had betrayed him in such a situation was rather high. His final option was to stand aside and let the events play out as they might.

As much as Killian had changed for the better, there was nothing inside him that wanted to help his enemy. Rumpelstiltskin had ruined his life more than once and had threatened the only woman Killian believed could save him. There was no argument about what was best for the town. They'd be better off without the Dark One lurking about. And it wasn't just the Dark One, Cheshire would be after, it would be other creatures of darkness as well.

In the end his decision was easy. Not even Belle could fault him for letting events play out as they might. There was little else he could do to stop them. But at least in this moment he could save a few people from the boy's quest.

As Hook shook his head an earsplitting grin crosses Ches's face.

"Good thing, good thing," the boy crooned gleefully in a voice that grated against the pirate's senses. It was a familiar sound that Hook couldn't quite place. "I'd hate to have go through you captain. After all we've been through together."

Hook felt his jaw clench as he looked the young man in the eye. As bright green met deep blue, Killian made his final decision. "But you have to promise me that no one gets hurt."

"Now captain I can't make a promise like that. This is a war. A war between the dark and the light. People will get hurt." Cheshire cocked his head as he contemplated the stubborn set of the pirate's mouth. The two continued their silent war for what seemed like hours as they took the measure of one another. Finally, the youth conceded in their unspoken battle. "But I can assure you that your lady and her boy are safe from me. I'll even through in the Charming couple and their newest child. The Queen is another matter of course."

Hook nodded at the teenagers list. The kid had always been observant and far too clever for his own good. "Do your best to leave Regina out of it, but the witch is yours. And one more thing." His voice turned hard as he threatened the young man, "Leave Belle alone."

A mischievous glint appeared in Ches's eyes at that. Someone else might mistake it for a simple proclivity for trouble, but Killian could see the danger in that look. "And why might she be important?"

"Let's not pretend you don't know."

A beat passed and then Ches gave a curt nod. "I can't do that captain. She's too important to him."

"She's been through enough because of the bloody Dark One. She deserves better than to be a pawn once again." Ches mulled over the pirate's words for several long moments. Seeing that he might not be swayed Hook added, "Belle is a confused young woman who's had her heart broken more times than I can count. Whether the crocodile enchanted her in the beginning or not, she thinks she loves him. Leave her out of this."

"No physical harm will come to her," Ches relented before giving his former friend a wink, "or to the child,"

Killian did his best not to look surprised at that revelation, but he didn't fool the young man. Knowing he would never gain full safety for those closest to the Crocodile, Killian relented. "Good enough."

"It's good to be back in business captain," Cheshire smiled extending his hand. "Sure, you don't want in on this? Finally get your revenge? I plan on making it painful."

Hook took the boy's proffered hand but shook his head at the offer, "I'm done with revenge. It didn't help anything. You'd do well to remember that it won't make you happy."

The manic dark smile that Killian remembered from Wonderland appeared on the young man's face. "I'm not doing this for revenge, Captain. I'm doing this for all the realms. The Dark One has plagued these lands for far too long. It's time that monster was removed."

 _A/N: So, hopefully that was worth your time! Thanks for reading and as always feel free to tell me what you think in the reviews/comments… I mean seriously, please (pretends to not be begging, but it's actually shamelessly begging to know). Anyways I will see you guys in the next chapter. (Hopefully next week? It's a date!)_


	3. Among Mad People

_A/N: Welcome back everyone! So before we get started I just want to explain a few things. I'm sticking to canon pretty hard. If it's not explicitly mentioned as different, you can assume that it happened exactly the same way it did during season 6. The biggest thing I'm doing away with is the "Savior Shakes." Truthfully, I wasn't a fan of the whole Savior mythology they tried to create during this season. It was total ret-con and took time away from some really promising story arcs and discussions they could have introduced or enhanced. In this story, Emma is going to deal with her role as Savior, but in a different capacity. So, no "savior shakes" and no hooded figure coming after her. If anything else is majorly different, I will let you guys know in the author's notes or in the story itself. Hope you enjoy!_

It was a brisk evening in Storybrooke, Maine. Winter and Fall battled for supremacy each day, leaving the little town in a perpetual state of long sleeves and light jackets. Luckily for the Dark One, hot and cold were of little consequence. He was certainly more susceptible to the elements in this world, Zelena had proven that, but with magic he need not worry about such trivialities.

Unfortunately, that meant his mind was free to torture him with thoughts of his last conversation with Belle. After everything he'd done in the Underworld and beyond to wake her, it still hadn't been his kiss that brought her back. That pricked constantly at him, like a sore that refused to heal. Rumpelstiltskin had done everything the woman had asked of him. He saved their child, kept her safe, didn't even hurt anyone (his father excluded) to achieve his ends.

Yet all his efforts had been in vain. Her father refused to wake her, and Rumpelstiltskin refused to leave her and their child so that he would. The pawnbroker's kiss couldn't wake her, because she no longer loved him. At one time he'd thought she might be the exception, that she might actually be able to truly love him forever. But of course he'd been proven wrong. However, this time the gaping hole left in her wake was becoming too much to bear. Hope had done a number on his fragile heart making the pain more acute than ever before.

If he hadn't become so accustomed to the throbbing stab of heartache over the past three centuries, Rumpelstiltskin wagered that his broken heart might just kill him. The organ that hadn't worked properly since he'd first lost his son - arguably even before then - pained him horribly. How had he let things get this bad? He certainly hadn't meant to.

At the time, killing Zelena and making sure he could never be enslaved again had seemed so important. Even lying to Belle hadn't seemed like such a drastic notion, not if it meant they could find their happiness. Now he could see that it had been the darkness pulling him under. Promising him everything would be okay if he could just unleash his power. Insisting that he needed more power to protect the only person he had left.

Of course, now he had no one. No one but the darkness once more. And he could blame only himself. Even his unborn child hated him. That stung unbearably. To know that once again he had failed as a father. Without so much as meeting his son, he had proven himself unworthy of such a title.

Dark thoughts continued to cloud his mind as Rumpelstiltskin walked through the silent town. He had to talk to Belle. Beg once more for her forgiveness. Let her know that even if she didn't want to be with him, she couldn't take his child. Losing another son would be the final straw for Rumpelstiltskin. The darkness that had taken centuries to consume him before, would swallow him whole within the month. He refused to allow it free reign. Not after everything.

As he walked past the docks a hauntingly familiar ship caught his gaze. But it wasn't the ship itself that drew the Dark One's eye. It was the two figures that stood talking on the deck. An easy familiarity existed between them now and it broke every hope of reconciliation Rumpelstiltskin had left. Belle had found a new place to stay.

Rage was the first emotion to plough its way through the numbness. Swiftly followed by disbelief. How could she stay with Hook? Knowing what she knew about their past, Rumpelstiltskin was certain that Belle understood just how this would hurt him. Which meant she had chosen this place because of its significance. After being betrayed so many times in his long life, the Dark One thought he was accustomed to the feeling. But at the moment his heart had sunk down to his feet and felt as if something large was constricting his throat. She hated him. She had to.

 _What else did you expect Spinner?_ His curse cackled. _She couldn't stay after you corrupted her._

And he most certainly had corrupted his Belle. He'd taken everything she believed in and tore it down bit by bit. The woman who had once loved layers and mysteries now despised anything that wasn't straightforward and simple. Seeing the everything in black and white helped her deal with the world. Understanding the nuances within the grey areas had only ever brought her heartache. He'd single handedly snuffed out her light. Destroyed the things that made her Belle.

 _That's what monsters do dearie,_ the curse mocked. _They break pretty things. And you've certainly proven yourself to be a beast. Now go show her what happens to those who betray you._

Images of him ripping out the Captain's heart and crushing it into ash filled his mind. For an instant he contemplated it. He could never hurt Belle, not physically, but forcing her to watch him kill the pirate would have a sweet vengeance to it. Not to mention –

"No," he whispered louder than he intended, his own voice making him flinch at the sudden intrusion. Shaking his head Rumpelstiltskin stuffed those voices back into their proper corner of his mind. He knew how to deal with this curse, had managed it properly for nearly three hundred years while he searched for Baelfire. Zelena's enslavement of him had destroyed so many of his carefully laid barriers, allowing the darkness too much of a foothold. An issue he didn't understand until it was too late. He wouldn't let it win again.

Giving his True Love and her new companion one last look, Rumpelstiltskin turned away and walked back to the pawnshop, shivering as something more potent than the night air gripped at him.

* * *

The beauty and the pirate stood on the dark deck of the _Jolly Roger_ , barely shivering despite the nip in the air. Belle couldn't begin to express her gratitude to Killian for allowing her a safe place to stay. Especially considering just how furious Rumpelstiltskin would be when he realized where she was residing.

"I don't feel like I've said thank you enough yet," she said with a smile.

Killian continued looking out at the dark water for so long that she wasn't certain he'd heard her. "Like I said," the pirate finally answered, "it's the least I can do to begin apologizing." He turned a pair of sorrowful eyes on her, making the beauty realize just how much he berated himself for their shared past.

"Killian, it's the past," Belle insisted. "I've forgiven you and it's time you forgive yourself. You were a different person then and I can't hold resentment towards you anymore. Not after all you've done to redeem yourself."

"I've stumbled too many times, slid backwards more often than I'd like to admit. I haven't earned your forgiveness yet Belle, but I will. I can assure you of that."

There was nothing she could say in the face of such a promise, so the bookworm merely nodded. A companionable silence drifted between them as they stood leaning against the bow and watching the water.

"The picture from earlier," Killian asked breaking the peace, "when was it taken?"

Sadness pulled at Belle for a moment as tears threatened to spring forth once more. The picture brought back memories of a more pleasant time. Recollections of something as close to a happy ending as Belle had ever experienced. "It was the day after we returned from Neverland," she confided. "We had breakfast together. As a real family. Mary Margaret was snapping pictures left and right, much to the horror of those in the diner. Neal forced Rumple to play nice and smile. It's the only picture we have of the three of us together. I thought it was gone."

Warmth filled the beauty as she told the story of that day. It was funny how such a simple moment had become one of her favorite memories. At the time it had felt insignificant. A blip in a much more important story, but now… Now it was one of the few happy memories she had of their brief little family.

Belle wiped quickly at tears she'd just realized had fallen. Hook gave her a sad smile and threw a comforting arm around her shoulders. _Rumple would kill him for that alone,_ she thought before dismissing the notion.

"He loved you, you know," Killian insisted quietly, his tone gruff. "Baelfire I mean. He liked you, a lot, I could tell."

A watery smile broke through her misery. "Thank you, Killian. For everything."

Nodding swiftly the pirate pulled away. "I think I'll call it an evening. If you need anything or if the Crocodile shows his face, all you have to do is call for me."

A quick pat on the shoulder was his parting gift before the pirate descended to the deck below. Belle stayed at the bow for a while longer, staring out at the small, sleepy town. A brief shifting of the shadows fooled her into thinking that someone had been there watching her. When further inspection brought nothing more to light, Belle convinced herself it had been nothing. Sighing at her own silliness the beauty made her way to her new bed, content with thoughts of having someone she trusted nearby.

As the librarian made her across the deck, she failed to notice a peculiar gleam that one of the shadows wore. Light reflected from the depths as the shadow turned away, his reconnaissance finished for tonight.

* * *

 _Two Days Later_

The Evil Queen had returned. And after only two days had caused more trouble than Hyde and the newcomers to Storybrooke combined. The Sheriff might be impressed if the whole endeavor hadn't been a constant headache for her. She really needed to hire another deputy.

Emma Swan sat alone at her desk pouring over the latest two files she'd spent the morning finishing. Edmund Dantes gazed lifelessly at her from the frame of a photo she'd received from the medical examiner (Doc this time around). She'd managed to scan a picture of the young man Henry found in his story book to add to the file. The man's story was a sad one and unfortunately, she'd found no one who knew him.

There would be a small burial for Edmund and his wife at the convent later today, but few would attend. Herself, her parents, and Regina may well be the only one's present. A deep sorrow she couldn't explain spread through the Savior at such macabre thoughts. No one deserved to die as Dantes had. Friendless and alone in a strange world.

Shaking herself, Emma signed her name in the appropriate places before closing the file and tossing in the "things to file" pile. She then turned to the less tragic file of Lady Tremaine. The woman who'd made Cinderella's life so miserable that the young maid had turned to one of Rumpelstiltskin's deals. If the sheriff was being honest with herself, Ashley wasn't always the brightest of individuals. The girl had a tendency to rush forward without thinking then complain when things didn't turn out as she expected. Yet despite her faults, Ashley was brave and a sweet soul at heart.

Conversely, Lady Tremaine was a real piece of work. The woman was conniving and ambitious in all the wrong ways. Emma wagered that she and Cora might have gotten along wonderfully. Her actions alone had been heinous, but with the Evil Queen throwing a wrench into everyone's story, the whole situation had been a mess.

Tracking down Ashley, while the Queen consistently threw them off her trail hadn't been easy. And while Emma couldn't deny that she enjoyed the challenge, the constant need to protect Storybrooke from the newest villain of the week was starting to wear on her. _Pointless._ That's what the Evil Queen had called her. Always fighting others battles and never resting for herself. At the end of the day, Emma found herself wondering if maybe that was true.

She didn't get much further in her contemplation before the door to the Sherriff's station burst open and a motley crew of the town's denizens spilled in. At the head were Grumpy and Red, followed closely by two other dwarves (she really needed to figure out which was which), Granny, Dr. Whale, Archie and surprisingly Henry's new friend Cheshire. Mob mentality seemed to be ruling at the moment and if Grumpy's, if possible, more angry than usual face was anything to go by, her headache was about to get much worse.

The library was packed with strangers from the Land of Untold Stories. Shrugging in his now too warm leather jacket, David noted that he'd rarely seen so many people in one location here in Storybrooke. Obviously, they were going to have to rethink these modernization classes, as the dwarves so fondly called them. Today, characters new to this world – either those who traveled with Hyde or who were brought over during Snow's curse – were meeting with shop and business owners in order to find suitable jobs or trades.

A hoard of sturdy men and a few stout women were already drafted into construction. New housing projects were being developed on the outskirts of town to accommodate the influx of new people. The constant demand for laborers was high right now. An equally large line developed around Anton and Happy for the now booming farming industry which had cropped up. All in all, everything was running as smoothly as could be expected. Perhaps, sometime soon, they might even have a return to something resembling normalcy.

David leaned easily against the circulation desk observing those milling about. It had been a long two days since the Evil Queen's return and it was nice to finally have a moment of peace, brief though it might be. Snow had been adamant that they not allow current events to overshadow the need of their people. While that wasn't an easy task by any means, seeing his True Love in her natural setting was quite pleasant. Charming's heart soared at the sight of his wife meandering about helping where she could and greeting everyone she met with a smile. Light seemed to shine from every part of Snow White and he was lucky to call her his wife.

"That's an impressive smile," a lilting voice called from beside him, startling the prince from his thoughts. Turning to face the intruder David caught a vision of chestnut hair and blue eyes. "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you."

"It's fine," he replied sheepishly, unsure of what else to say to Belle. She was dressed simply in a short dress that accentuated her natural beauty quite well.

"Snow's a natural at all of this."

Well no one ever claimed that the bookworm wasn't perceptive. "She really is," David agreed. "Thankfully, because I've found that I'm dreadful at these things. Point me in the direction of a battle and I can handle it, diplomacy though…" he faked a shiver garnering a laugh out of the young woman. "How are things on Hook's ship?"

Belle propped herself against the desk as well, watching the masses as she gathered her thoughts. "It's… honestly it's horrible," she shot him a smirk as she spoke. "What with the morning sickness and the constant moving of a rocking ship, I feel like I've spent more time sick than anything else."

"You could always look for somewhere else to stay."

"There's not really anything else. He owns all of the apartment buildings and Granny's is packed. I'll take a little discomfort over asking him for anything right now."

He noticed that she refused to use her ex-husband's name. It made sense, the prince thought. David had always been cautious concerning the relationship between the pawnbroker and the librarian. He'd never understood how someone so pure and kind could want someone like the twisted imp he'd known back home. Yet he'd seen Rumpelstiltskin with Belle. She could calm the man in ways no one else understood and there was little doubt just how far Rumpelstiltskin would go to protect or help Belle. There was a good deal of love between the two. True Love, if Rumpelstiltskin was to be believed. But the man had hurt said True Love repeatedly.

Trust like that could only be broken so many times before being used up. And no matter how much two people loved one another, love wasn't enough to keep them together. David and Snow had plenty of experience in that. A relationship took work and honesty, trust and forgiveness. Once those things were shattered, there was little left.

"I'm sorry things didn't work out between you two," David admitted softly, reaching out to put an arm around the bookworm's shoulders.

A gentle astonishment passed over his companion's features. "You know, I think you're the first person to say that."

Something almost like pity welled up in the Shepard's heart. Belle had been through so much, but how much of that had she been through alone? No one could comprehend why she married the Dark One or stayed by his side. The town had been grateful when she banished him across the town line. David remembered thanking her himself. But had anyone been around to make sure Belle was handling things well? Had anyone been there for her in what was probably one of the hardest times of her life?

To his shame, David could only remember discussing the hat and entrapped fairies with her. He'd never bothered to check in on the little librarian and he honestly couldn't think of anyone who had. They had failed Belle as friends then and continued failing her ever since.

Every one of them had been shocked when she walked into Granny's the other day. Regina, Emma, Hook, Snow, and himself. Truthfully, he hadn't spared the librarian a thought since the Land of Untold stories. When Snow had so callously offered Hyde crucial information about the Dark One's bride.

"Belle…" the Prince began unsure of what exactly he would say next. Unfortunately, he could think of no way to properly express his guilt. Instead he diverted his thoughts to something helpful, "Have you considered the convent? Surely they have an open room and Blue could keep you safe."

Delight shone from the woman at his suggestion. Her smile was almost bright enough to make the Shepard forget the sickening squirm in his stomach. "That's a fantastic idea! I'll give Blue a call." A small smile full of appreciation that the Prince didn't feel he deserved tugged at Belle's mouth. "Thank you, David. It means a lot."

Not wanting to continue this conversation but unable to leave it with his gut churning so uncomfortably, David's mouth made its own decisions. "The tape from Rumpelstiltskin…" he started clumsily. "It wasn't anything troubling?"

The librarian's face fell at that. Surprisingly though, it wasn't completely devoid of light. "Nothing troubling at all. It was…sweet actually." Relieved that his prodding hadn't turned up something painful, he almost missed Belle's next words. "Did you get the information you needed about your father?"

A dull pain joined Charming's squirming stomach at the mention of his erstwhile father. "I did."

"Was it helpful?"

"I'm not sure yet," the Prince revealed.

"Well if you need help, all you have to do is ask."

With that the beauty walked back into the throng of story book characters. Belle was such a kind soul and she deserved far better than the heroes of this town had given her. Guilt continued gnawing at David as he watched his wife and the librarian help anywhere they could. Neither allowed their circumstances, fears, or worries stop them from helping anyone they could. The former noblewomen seemed to find solace while helping others. Eager to follow their example, but unsure of how to manage, David slumped back against the circulation desk once more.

* * *

Across the room from David and Belle a young woman with dark hair and skin stood in line with the other ragtag group of former nobles. She'd found reasonable clothing in the donation boxes the night before. Luck had been on her side when she uncovered pants that actually fit and a snug short sleeved shirt that was quite comfortable. The longer the young woman spent in this strange little town, the odder Storybrooke became.

Nobility had little place here. The rather small town was overrun with Kings and Queens, Princes and Princesses, and more than its share of Lords and Ladies. In Storybrooke, blue blood was as common as the peasantry. Not that such things bothered the woman. It only mattered in this moment because she had no real trade outside of needlepoint and managing a kingdom. Trades that weren't exactly transmittable here.

"Jasmine," an accented voice called from behind her causing the young woman to turn quickly.

To her left stood a young man with shoulder-length dark hair. He was dressed in the clothing of this world and seemed far more comfortable in it than any of the others standing about her. A familiar nose and dark eyes shone out of the curtain of his hair. "Aladdin," Jasmine exclaimed as she launched herself into well-known arms.

His embrace was as strong and soothing as she remembered. For the first time since arriving in this strange world, the princess felt safe. Neither one wanted to pull back, to leave the sanctuary of familiarity and security. But the world around them continued its trek forward and the two lovers knew they must too.

Moving apart enough to see one another but refusing to let go, the two stared as their world came back into focus. "How did you get here Princess?" Aladdin asked.

"I'm not entirely sure," the former Princess answered with a shake of her head. "Hyde brought us. I think some people came willingly, the rest of us still aren't certain how we ended up on the dirigibles."

"Well I can't say that I'm upset over that. I can't believe you're here." A shy and charming smile that Jasmine remembered oh so well melted her heart.

"I can't believe you're here!" she exclaimed a matching grin splitting her own face.

"Have been since Regina's first curse. Bloody nightmare that was, but Storybrooke grows on you."

"So, you could show me around then?"

"I'd like nothing better. Give us a proper chance to catch up," the one-time street rat offered an arm to the Princess, which she eagerly took. Linked together the two walked onto Main Street, thrilled at their reunion and enthusiastic to spend time reacquainting themselves.

* * *

"Hey sister, we need to talk," the grumpiest of the dwarves began.

The barely concealed hostility in his voice informed Emma, that she had been correct in assuming her day was about to get worse. "What's wrong now?" she asked cautiously.

"What's wrong now," Whale cut in. "Is the justice system in this town is a joke..."

"What Victor means," the woman in question interjected, "is that we're concerned about how certain matters have been handled in this town."

Uncertain of where this was going Emma turned her attention to the newly returned Red. _When did she get back?_ "Like what?" the Sheriff queried doing her best to keep her voice level.

Surprisingly it was the quiet dwarf (Bashful? Or was it Sleepy?) that spoke up, "Like the Evil Queen's return."

"Or," this time it was Grumpy expressing another opinion, "how Lady Tremaine almost killed Ashley and she gets away with a little community service."

"Then there's the matter of Regina killing that Dantes guy at the docks," Whale added helpfully.

"Is she going to be held responsible for that?" the third dwarf chimed in.

"Not to mention," Granny called loudly, "the Wicked Witch who's suddenly walking around free. Or the Dark One who was allowed back into town after selling us out to the latest villain."

The rabble continued hurling accusations at her, growing louder as they picked-up steam. It was all too much for the exhausted Sheriff to deal with. "Hey!" she shouted drowning out the noise. "One at a time, please. Archie, what's going on?"

Archie was easily the most sensible person in the room right now. She trusted the cricket to keep his calm as he spoke. He didn't disappoint. "There is a lot of discussion in town right now about how things are being run. Laws from this world don't always apply here, but few want to return to the laws of the old world. Then there's the matter of the constant fighting and the leaders leaving town so often. A lot of people also feel like they are being forgotten in all the chaos."

"Forgotten?" Emma asked curious at such an odd charge.

Unfortunately, it was Grumpy who decided to answer this time. "Yeah, like Dopey being left as a tree for three weeks while you lot chased down Dark One's and took trips to the Underworld. We had to enlist help from Tinker Belle to free him."

Luckily Ruby cut in before the outraged dwarf could get rolling. "Then there's the matter of all these newcomers. Not just those who came over with Hyde. Those who came over and stayed after Zelena's curse and the curse that brought all of you back from Camelot." Accustomed to a certain amount of understanding from the wolf, the frigid tone apparent in her words took Emma by surprise.

"We're working on integrating the new people," Emma began but was cut off again.

"Yeah and what happens when one of those newcomers turns out to be a threat," Granny thundered. "Or when one of them decides they have a grudge match that could level the town."

Finally, Archie took control of the conversation again. "What we're saying," the cricket intoned calmly, "is that there a lot of issues and concerns for the people of Storybrooke."

"And not just those from Storybrooke," Cheshire spoke up. "Many of us from the Land of Untold Stories have concerns as well. But we haven't been heard yet."

Emma stared around the room in disbelief at the individuals she'd counted as friends for so long. She'd spent the past three days chasing down one crisis after another to keep the people of this town safe and now they were turning on her. The Savior turned to say as much to the group confronting her but all she managed was a sullen, "Seriously guys?"

Expression ranging from cold afront to shocked and aghast peppered the faces surrounding her. It occurred to Emma that they believed she was the one acting irrationally. "Look," she continued, holding up her hands in a placating manner. "We've had a crazy few days dealing with Hyde, the Evil Queen, and their minions. We-"

"There's always some excuse," this time it was Archie with a fire in his voice. "Emma, we're grateful for everything that you, David, Snow, and even Regina do for this town," his tone was gentler now, but his words were stern. "But while you lot are out saving the day or rescuing each other, the town suffers the consequences. We're the ones left to deal with those mistakes and grudge matches-"

"And Dark One pirates who want to drag us all to hell," Grumpy snorted quietly.

Archie continued as if he hadn't been interrupted. "And the citizens of Storybrooke don't feel as if their concerns aren't being dealt with. These are the people who put you in power and have stood by you, remember that."

"We followed you lot to Camelot," Granny interjected indicating herself and the head dwarf, "because we believe in your parents and wanted to help you. But losing yourself to the darkness by cursing that pirate of yours, wasn't something we signed on for."

"We also didn't sign up for a vacation to the Underworld," Bashful/Sleepy piped up.

"Look," Emma seethed, "I know it didn't go to plan, but I had to save Hook. He didn't deserve to die like that. And as for being the Dark One's, we were cursed. We-"

"Rumpelstiltskin never tried to send the town to Hades' doorstep while he was the Dark One," Whale pointed out.

"You don't know what it was like!" Emma shouted.

"You're right," Archie consented, "we don't. But the matter stands. Your people aren't happy. They don't feel as if they have a say in this community."

"Perhaps," Cheshire proposed, "we could have a town meeting? For the newcomers and the old members. Let the people have their say, voice their complaints."

Seeing the wisdom behind such a suggestion the Savior nodded reluctantly. It would be a pain to sit through a meeting like that, but these people trusted them. She couldn't den that they deserved to have their voices heard. "Maybe that's not a bad idea. Why are you coming to me with this though? Why not Regina, she is mayor."

"There is an Evil Queen on the loose," Ruby noted with not a little sarcasm. "We may trust Regina, but who's to say that when we go talk to her, it's not Regina we run into. We'll take our chances with a stubborn Sheriff." The cheeky woman shot her a wink that surprisingly brightened Emma's mood.

She could do this for the town. "Tomorrow night then," Emma suggested.

With nods of ascent, the group of concerned citizens agreed to her terms. Tomorrow the heroes could communicate with the town they were meant to protect. As bitter as the Savior was about their accusations, she had to admit that the people had a point. This community faced its fair share of catastrophe and rarely did the citizens complain. If they felt shunted while the leaders fought their battles, then perhaps it was time to hear what the people had to say.

* * *

A manic grin was plastered across Cheshire's face as he walked back to the library. They'd sat around the Sheriff's office for hours working out a schedule of topics and organizing the town meeting for tomorrow. Cheshire couldn't help but marvel at how easy it was to stir up the citizens of Storybrooke. Their heroes had forgotten them and had allowed the filth of the realms to walk around undaunted. It was time for a few changes in this quaint little town. It was time for Ches to finish the work he'd begin lifetimes ago.

After the absolute chaos from earlier, the library was blissfully quiet. Its primary operator walking the rows of shelves broom in hand as she dealt with the mess left by the rabble. Cheshire stopped just in the doorway to observe his new boss.

The Dark One's wife was a striking thing. Beautiful as could be and kind to a fault. It was no wonder the old imp had fallen for her, he'd have to be a blind fool not to. But Ches wasn't surprised to find that Rumpelstiltskin had broken the young woman's heart. Of course he had, it's what he was good at. The young man had been surprised to discover that the pair shared True Love. The oldest and purest of magics had no place in the care of one as steeped in darkness as Rumpelstiltskin. But perhaps that was why it had been so easy for the old monster to destroy it.

"Hey there boss lady," Ches called as he left his thoughts at the door. The librarian startled ever so slightly before turning to him.

"Cheshire," she breathed, "you frightened me."

"Well I do apologize for that," the young man lamented, "I had no intention of sneaking up on you."

"Must be a cat thing," she snorted with a twinkle in her eye.

Cheshire stood aghast for a moment as her words sunk in. Had she really just teased him about being cursed into a cat? Most people avoided that topic as awkwardly as possible and yet here she was, poking fun at him about it. He really didn't want to like this woman, but she was already making that a difficult task.

"Yes, well old habits and what have you. Though I do wish I could manage to stop coughing up hairballs."

"I bet that's awkward at the dinner table."

A laugh escaped the youth at Belle's boldness. Yes, the imp was a fool for letting this one slip away. "Can I help you with this? It is my job after all."

The former maid tossed him the broom with ease. "Be my guest! I have some books that need reshelving to tend to. Will you be around tomorrow?"

"If you need me to be," Ches promised.

"I can show you the ins and the outs of this place tomorrow morning then."

"I'd like that."

The two worked in companionable silence for a long while. Sweeping away the dust and detritus Ches was overwhelmed with a strange nostalgia for the last time he'd worked so diligently in a large library. The library at the Dark Castle had been a grand thing. Bookshelves galore stood against every wall and stretched all the way to the ceiling. While his first master, Silas, had owned the castle, there had been little but cobwebs and dust filling the shelves. But once Rumpelstiltskin took ownership, the place became packed with books. One shelf at a time, the imp had stored tomes, novels, scrolls, and whatever else he could find in the gigantic room.

Cheshire had many a fond memory of that library. The fondest being his unveiling of the place to the Dark One. He'd rarely seen his former master so giddy with excitement. But that had been before everything went so wrong. Before he realized that the monster he thought might be human, was little more than a power-hungry beast.

"You're thinking awfully hard about something," Belle called to him from her position at the end of the aisle he was working on. She was far closer to him than he'd realized.

Caught unawares, Cheshire took longer to school his expression than normal. "I was…" Belle gave him a soft look as he grappled for some lie or another.

"You don't have to tell me about it if you don't want to," she assured. "But I'm always here to talk if you need me."

What was it about this bookworm that made him want to bare his soul to her. Coming back on balance, the former feline decided that he could turn this moment to his advantage. "I was thinking," he began slowly and coating his voice in an unsteady hesitancy, "about the last library I worked in."

"In Wonderland?" Belle asked her eyes alight with curiosity.

"No, the Enchanted Forest actually."

Confusion confounded her for a moment. "I thought you were from Wonderland though?"

"Not originally," he divulged. "I was sent there. No, I was born and grew up in the Enchanted Forest. My family was from the Frontlands, but we lived closer to the small town of Avonlea."

"No way!" the beauty exclaimed. "My father was Lord over Avonlea and its duchy."

"Small world isn't it," he replied with a dashing smile.

"How long ago did you leave?"

"Let's just say that Avonlea was barely a spot on the map when I left."

"But that would've been…" Cheshire paused as the clever woman worked her was through the puzzle he'd presented her. "Well over two hundred years ago."

Ches gave her a quick nod, "Cat remember. I was cursed when I was around seventeen. It was then that I was forced to leave. But lucky for me, two hundred years as a cat is great for the skin. Gives you a youthful glow." The flamboyant gesture he made in that moment, reminded him of a past he wanted so badly to forget. Try though he might, some characteristics remained ingrained in the young man.

This time Belle didn't laugh or carry on with his jest. A slightly horrified look was working its way across her features and Ches had to contain his glee as he followed her thoughts. She knew he'd had a run in with the Dark One, knew he'd been cursed, all that was left for her to put the pieces together.

"So what library did you work in then?" the beauty asked feigning curiosity but playing the same game he was. She was fishing for information. Information he was all too willing to provide.

"Well… look don't, I don't want…" Cheshire stumbled over his words providing her the perfect opportunity to show she cared.

"It's okay Ches, you can talk to me."

"Don't freak out okay." He waited until she gave him an affirmative sign before continuing. "I'm a bit of a sorcerer. When I was ten my father apprenticed me to a dark wizard. A horrible man who was black and vile as the magic he practiced." Her look of horror grew as he described his first mentor Silas. She need not know that Rumpelstiltskin had come later.

"You,… you said," Belle swallowed hard and started again. "You said that you had a bad run in with the Dark One…"

Cheshire gleefully picked up where she let her sentence hang, never once letting her see that happiness. "I was his apprentice. His first I think."

The librarian gaped at him for slightly longer than strictly proper as she made the final connection. "He cursed you?"

"He did. I made a deal with him. I cleaned his castle, library and all, and he taught me magic. It was the only way I could keep him from chucking me out." Cheshire laughed ruefully at that thought. Rumpelstiltskin had threatened to send him from the castle more times than Ches could count. The Dark One had never wanted an apprentice, but apparently not even the malevolent imp could resist the tearful eyes of a scared kid. "When I broke the deal, he cursed me. Turned me into a cat and sent me to the most annoying world he could think of."

"And now you want revenge?" the beauty seemed resigned and tense at that.

"Once upon a time I did. But now," he took a deep breath for emphasis, "now I'm just ready to move on with my life. To have a second chance at doing things right." His words fell upon her ears like honey. Cheshire could see the moment she relaxed in his presence, the moment she chose to believe in the dashing and earnest young man standing in front of her. He'd learned from the master of manipulation, he knew how to make the young beauty dance to his tune.

"I think that takes a lot of courage to do Ches," Belle admitted placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"After everything, I just… I can't dwell on that time. It doesn't do me any good to do so," Ches looked down at his feet. The hand on his shoulder tightened a bit as he observed the ridiculous heels the librarian wore. Working hard to look as dejected and pitiable as possible, he almost missed Belle's soft sigh of exasperation.

"I'm sorry, if it's any consolation."

"It's not your fault."

"No, but I can still feel empathy for you," the smile she gave him warmed Cheshire's heart. She really was an amazing woman. But he had to keep his head on straight.

"Empathy?" He queried innocently. "Instead of sympathy?" The smile faltered a bit, marring her features with an unbecoming strain. It wasn't right for someone so kind and so good to go through such pain. Subconsciously, Ches shrugged those thoughts away, he couldn't get attached to the Dark One's wife. She was too important. "You made a deal with him too. You said so yesterday."

Rumpelstiltskin's wife nodded, "I was his maid. He freed my lands from the Ogres in exchange for my services." At Ches's look of disgust, Belle quickly amended, "He wasn't interested in that or in my cleaning skills. I think he was lonely and needed a proper reason to steal away a companion. That and he knew I was the most precious thing my father had."

"What happened?"

"I fell in love with him," she whispered hoarsely unable to meet his eyes. "You'd find that out soon enough. Until recently he was my husband. My True Love," Belle scoffed at the last. As if it were all some cosmic joke the fates were playing on her.

"That can't have been an easy relationship," Cheshire observed.

To his surprise the bookworm laughed. "No, it's, it's never been easy. He's the Dark One, nothing about Rumpelstiltskin is easy. Especially…" whether she knew it or not, Belle's hands went down to her stomach as she cut herself off. Caressing the child that would soon be far enough along to see.

"So, when you said he could still hurt you…?"

"He wouldn't. Especially not now." At the questioning look he shot her, Belle added the obvious, "I'm pregnant."

"Ahhh," Ches breathed. "Yes, that would make things rather difficult."

The two companions stood in silence. Giddy at having earned the librarian's trust so easily, Cheshire waited for her to break the moment. It didn't take long for his patience to pay off.

"I'm sorry Cheshire. I shouldn't be bothering you with all of this."

"I'm the one who brought it up," he acknowledged with a shrug as she turned from him. She was walking away, but he couldn't allow that just yet. There was something else he needed to do. "Um, Belle," he called.

The woman in question stopped before walking around the circulation desk. With hurried steps Ches made his way over to her. Trying a shy smile on for size, the young man looked into the astonishingly blue eyes of his boss. Locating the chain hanging around his neck, Cheshire gave the necklace a tug. The clasp came free with ease. A small gold coin hung from the chain. It was well worn with age and yet a residual shine clung to it. He'd kept it for centuries, waiting for the right moment to use it. And finally that moment had arrived.

"Here," Ches said handing the trinket over to Belle. Despite their recent heart to heart and the connection he could feel growing between them, the woman hesitated. Good, she was keen as well as beautiful. She would make a formidable ally. But for now, he had a story to sell. "It was my mother's," he explained. "She gave it to me just before she died. Always said luck followed it wherever it went." A fond warmth spread through him at the memories. And Cheshire was certain that that warmth showed through his mask. "I'm not much certain about that, but it can't hurt to have a little extra."

A tinge of affection brightened her eyes, "Ches, I, I can't take that."

"Course you can," he assured her. "It's mine to give and I think you might need it a bit more than I do."

"But it was your mother's."

"My mum would be happy to see it in the hands of someone who truly needed it. Please, you've done so much for me already. Let me do this for you."

Belle caved at his insistence. Enthusiasm raced through his veins as she slid the necklace around her neck and allowed it to settle just below her neck. "Thank you. You're a good kid Ches."

"Well technically, I'm a lot older than you. So not really a kid at all," he reminded her.

"Yes, well when you look your age, then we'll talk," the clever beauty fired back.

As Belle walked away, Cheshire felt the barest tinge of guilt nag at him. The captain had been right, she didn't deserve any of this. She was a good person. A wonderful young woman who had the bad luck of falling for the wrong person. But it couldn't be helped, Ches reminded himself. He had to finish his mission. He couldn't fail again.

* * *

Emma walked down a darkened Main Street completely unaware of how she managed to get there. The streets were abandoned and the chill that permeated the air seemed to shot warnings up and down her spine. Something about this evening was ridiculously wrong. Something dark was coming.

As she passed Granny's a shadow moved from in front of the library. As soon as her eyes focused on the spot, whatever she'd seen was gone. Emma knew she shouldn't walk towards the library. Every instinct she had screamed at her to run in the other direction, but curiosity seemed to be winning as she walked slowly in that direction. Minding each step with great care, the Sheriff eased her way under the awning of the large building.

Nothing stirred as she looked around. She tugged at the doors only to find them locked and unmovable. No sound escaped the barren street. Not even a breeze drifted its way towards her. It was an eerie night and despite her constant reassurances, Emma was scared.

A glint to her left caught her attention. A long shape darker than those around it lay at the base of one of the library's pillars. As she leaned forward, Emma recognized the shape of the shadow. It took her two steps to get to the sword and a full minute to convince herself that she should crouch down and take a closer look.

The blade was long and decorated with ill-boding patterns. The design felt familiar in some way that she couldn't quite grasp, but that left her uneasy. Emma noted that it would take a strong arm to heft the sword in any kind of battle. The blade alone would be hefty, but the hilt had to weigh at least a pound itself. The hilt was well padded with dark leather stripped its length, providing a sturdy and decorative grip. The pommel of the sword displayed a bright blue stone encased in black steel. It was a handsome weapon, no doubt, but it screamed danger.

Without realizing that she had moved, Emma's hand extended out to touch the mysterious item. As soon as she made contact pain split her skull. Images flashed through her mind too fast to contemplate and left her reeling. Something bad was coming. Something–

Shooting up from the bed drenched in a cold sweat, Emma took several seconds to realize where she was. Killian mumbling from behind her, brought the savior firmly back to reality. It had been a dream. A peculiar one at that, but a dream no less.

Grabbing the glass of water on her bedside table, she downed the liquid as she reinforced that knowledge. It wasn't real. Just a dream.

Yet as the Savior wriggled her way back into the warmth of her True Love's arms, she couldn't shake the feeling that it had been something more.

 _A/N: Dun, dun, dun! So, what did you guys think about chapter 2? Honestly, I wasn't expecting this to end here, but this chapter just got away from me. Luckily though, I have a good bit of chapter 3 written out already. Thanks for reading and be sure to let me know what you think in the reviews/comments section. See you guys in the next chapter!_


	4. Wouldn't Have Come Here pt 1

_A/N: Okay so this chapter was more than a little challenging to write. I've scrapped it, rewritten it, and decided to give it another go so many times. But I think splitting it in two parts will be best. This half will be based on "Strange Case will still be in the following-cannon point of the story, so I've just added a few scenes from the episode into this chapter. The scenes that I'm adding though are going to have alterations to the dialogue from the episode, but if you recognize the dialogue I didn't write it. There is also some bonus material that is original. In the prologue I mentioned that this story will focus primarily on Rumple, but I haven't really gotten into his character much yet. That being said this chapter is almost an overload!_

 _I also want to include a_ _ **warning**_ _here. I'm upping the rating for this story and adding some warnings, because it took a darker turn than I expected it to. So definite warning here for rape/non-con. I won't be going into detail at any point, but there are serious implications included in the last section of this chapter and will be included for the rest of the story. It won't be a huge part, just dealing with some PTSD and handling a few things the show really needed to address (cough, cough Zelena, wink, wink,)._

 _So, now that those warnings and notes are out of the way, enjoy!_

Hyde had escaped and was going after Belle. The fear associated with that reality was currently blinding Rumpelstiltskin. He'd put a protection spell around Hook's ship. One that would keep Hyde out, but more importantly it would keep Belle in. She was furious, and he'd have to face that soon, but if it kept her and his son safe he could deal with her ire. His wife wouldn't have allowed him to be near her, she wouldn't accept his protection willingly, this had been his only choice.

Now seeing the damage, the insufferable man had dealt to Jekyll and the dwarves, Rumpelstiltskin was pleased with his decision. Belle was the most important thing right now, he had to protect her.

"I hid a little extra," the supercilious Jekyll informed he and Regina. Pulling a thin vial from its hiding spot, Jekyll dangled the potion in front of them. The man never had taken well to having his intelligence called into question. It seemed Rumpelstiltskin's goading had turned up something of value.

"Oh, great," the former Queen breathed in relief as she took the vial, "then let's do this. Gold?"

"Well hand it over," the pawnbroker replied with ease, making his own way over to the pair. "It'll only take a moment."

Mistrust seeped from the Evil Queen as he got too close. "I don't think I'll be handing over our only weapon." Regina pulled the vial to her side, safely away from his grasp, and fixed him with a hard stare. "You can work your magic from right there."

"Very well." Rumpelstiltskin knew it wouldn't be that simple, it never was. But with Belle and his child on the line, he had to stop Hyde, without interfering in the Evil Queen's plans. Before anyone could so much as blink, the Dark One plunged his hand into the doctor's chest. The action was as easy as he remembered, ingrained within him after so many years of evil deeds. He'd never taken many hearts, that was Cora's gimmick, but a long life and little patience for fools had provided the practice he needed. The Dark One had hoped that he wouldn't have to resort to such crude manners but needs must.

"What are you doing?" Regina shouted. She looked shocked, as if he'd never done something like this before. As if he owed the heroes any allegiance and therefore shouldn't betray her. Jekyll seemed equally surprised, though he at least should have seen something like this coming. The doctor really wasn't as bright as he seemed to believe himself to be.

"The Evil Queen may not care about innocent bloodshed," the imp gloated, "but we both know you do." Jekyll's heart beat quickly between them. The man knew his life hung in the balance of this power play and he couldn't control its frantic pace.

"You did make a deal with her,"

"She promised to leave Belle and my unborn child alone. Which means, the only person that serum is going to be used on is Hyde." Pulling out the accursed dagger he held it in front of Regina. "Now if you wouldn't mind.

Hatred and despair warred for dominion on his former pupil's face. She truly believed the silly serum to be her only hope. For Jekyll and Hyde that might be true, but Regina was made of something far stronger than those two. Hyde had to die, but Regina had far more options.

"You'll thank me for this Regina," Rumpelstiltskin informed once the task was complete. "One day you'll finally realize you can no more rid yourself of your darkness than I can. Catch." He tossed the pitiful doctor's heart to Regina as its owner continued cowering in fear. The look of devastation on her face tugged at something in the imp's heart, but she would figure it out. She had to. He had faith in his best apprentice. If anyone could overcome the darkness, it was most certainly Regina.

* * *

Getting rid of the pirate had been the simplest matter in the world. Mention that his love was in danger and he sprinted away to save her. So noble, brave, and foolish. Hyde and Rumpelstiltskin weren't the real threats. Not this time.

Th Dark One's wife was a stunning vision. Beautiful and kind and the complete opposite of everything the bastard stood for. The relationship didn't make much sense to Jekyll, but then no one had thought he and Mary belonged together either. None of that was important though. Here and now, he finally had the opportunity he'd been waiting for. Careful plotting, meticulous manipulation of the heroes, and cautious stalking of the woman had led him to the perfect moment. His revenge against Rumpelstiltskin would be complete.

There was little inside the doctor that balked at the thought of killing an innocent pregnant woman. Not when said woman belonged to the Dark One. Despite all he'd heard and asked about their relationship, Jekyll knew that the beauty in front of him held Rumpelstiltskin's heart. What better way to avenge Mary's death, than to kill the thing her murderer loved most.

* * *

Rumpelstiltskin plunged the dagger into the cocky bastard's heart and for a moment it seemed as if their story would finally end. Then everything went wrong in the blink of an eye. Chains constricted around his soul as Hyde gripped the dagger and pulled it from his chest. Nothing good would come from this. Nothing good at all.

"What is it you want?" Rumpelstiltskin asked trying with his might to keep his rising fear from showing.

"Oh, I think you know the answer to that," Hyde answered in that frustratingly condescending voice of his. "I want to show you the end of our story. And I want to watch you suffer." The manic man lifted the dagger and the Dark One felt his puppet strings pull. "Now take us to Belle."

Rumpelstiltskin hesitated. It was just as bad as he remembered, pain radiated through his body as he tried to ignore the command. But as usual he couldn't hold out for long. His hand came up of its own accord and before he knew it they stood on the docks facing the _Jolly Roger_.

"Whatever you're planning, stop," the Dark One insisted dangerously. "You may control that dagger now, but you won't always. And I promise you if you harm Belle-"

"You don't need to worry I won't harm Belle," Hyde assured him with a smirk. The man refused to even look at him, focusing instead on the pirate ship. "You see there's one final twist. I… am not the monster you need to worry about."

A long moment passed while Rumpelstiltskin stood beside Hyde in silence. The dagger kept him rooted to the spot per Hyde's orders. Just as he turned to Hyde once more, a figure darted up onto the deck of the _Jolly Roger._ Belle was running from something desperate to get off the ship he'd trapped her on.

"Belle!" he called to her terrified at the look of fear on the brave beauty's face.

"Rumple," Belle cried slamming her hands into the spell's barrier, "lift the spell."

A sense of helplessness he'd felt only once before filled Rumpelstiltskin. "I can't." He turned to Hyde confused at what could be causing Belle to panic. "What's going on? Who's on the boat with her?"

"The real villain of course."

Knowing he'd get no further information from Hyde, Rumpelstiltskin set his formidable mind to the task. The pieces of the infuriating puzzle slammed into place when Jekyll's familiar head figure rose from the deck below. Turning his eyes back to his True Love, the Dark One had a front row seat to watch yet another person he loved go face to face with a monster he'd helped create.

Futility filled him in the same way it had when he'd held Baelfire as his boy took his last few breaths. "Look please," Rumpelstiltskin begged "she's got nothing to do with this."

"Neither did Mary."

Hyde wasn't wrong. Mary had been an innocent. One the Dark One had given no thought to. She hadn't been important, only the serum had mattered back then. The serum that had been a complete failure and dangerous waste of time. If Hyde hadn't been so hell bent on seeking revenge for the woman's death, Rumpelstiltskin would only have known her as the owner of the necklace he'd stolen. In his long life, the Dark One had committed many a sin and evil deed. But Mary's death hadn't been his fault. Jekyll's determination would have created the serum in time, Rumpelstiltskin had just sped up that process. He was being punished for a crime he hadn't committed and now Belle would pay the price for his meddling.

Just as Rumpelstiltskin gave up hope of ever seeing Belle alive again, hope appeared in the form of a one-handed pirate that he hated. He'd never been so happy to see Hook. Hook diverted Jekyll from his murderous plot and in the end shoved the man onto a harpoon. Hyde watched the events unfold from his position beside the Dark One with growing displeasure. Jekyll was only half the battle.

"This story isn't over yet," Hyde growled turning the dagger onto Rumpelstiltskin. "Dark One, I command you-" whatever command he hoped to give never came. Hyde's face contorted in pain as the man reached to his gut. The villain collapsed to his knees, a trickle of blood sprouting from his mouth.

Much to Rumpelstiltskin's pleasure, Hyde fell into a heap at his feet. It seemed that Jekyll and Hyde were connected. As a creature of pure magic, independent from his doppelganger, Hyde couldn't be killed by normal means. He was magic, little else. Jekyll on the other hand, was flesh and bone. It seemed that death was the key to permanently ending one's darker split half.

Regina hadn't taken that well, but there was no way to hide the information from her. Perhaps it was for the best that she knew the full stakes of her poor decision. Ignoring the glares and snappy comments, he spared Sheriff Swan a moment of his time as he recounted events. Rumpelstiltskin barely remembered what he told the insufferable heroes, Belle – freed from the ship – was standing to the side waiting for him.

Her face a mask of fury and resentment, Belle stared him down as he walked to her. Her outrage was well placed, yet he couldn't help the relief that washed over him seeing her unscathed.

It was Belle who spoke first, "You cut your hair."

"You noticed." Rumpelstiltskin felt his stomach do a back flip at that. Of course, she noticed, it was quite the change. Yet her hostility earlier on the ship led him to believe she didn't care enough to notice much about him anymore. She hadn't noticed his fear or pain at being separated from her and his child. Hadn't noticed that he'd given her the space she felt she required or his efforts to keep her safe from the Evil Queen. In truth Belle hadn't noticed much since she sent him over the town line.

"I would've earlier but you were too busy trapping me," the beauty snapped, breaking all of his resolve to stand by his actions.

Rumpelstiltskin didn't want to start an argument, he really didn't, but it galled him that she refused to accept that he'd made a mistake. That he hadn't realized at the time that Jekyll was the real threat. If he was honest, he also felt the stirrings of jealousy that Hook had saved his wife and not him. That he had been, once again, forced to stand by and watch as someone he loved was threatened. Seeking to settle his own indignation he started the argument he hadn't wanted to begin. "So, you're staying with the pirate then?"

"Killian offered me a safe place to stay, you should be grateful," Belle rationalized.

"You're right. I'm very grateful that you're staying with the man who stole my last wife."

"Temper your insecurities, the man is in a relationship."

"He tried to kill you," the pawnbroker shouted realizing he might be behaving irrationally, but unable to help himself.

"Killian has changed," Belle spat.

"Ah yes, the pirate's miraculous redemption how ever could I forget," Rumpelstiltskin sang out in a remarkably impish voice. That hadn't happened in a while. "It must have been hard for him, making up for all his past mistakes, apologizing to all he's done wrong, acting like a hero should, attempting to send everyone to the Underworld." Seeing the sharp look in Belle's eyes he knew he'd hit his mark. That bolstered the Dark One to continue his mocking. "That's right he hasn't actually done any of those things has he? Well one of them perhaps," he conceded. "He chased after Mrs. Swan for a year and wormed his way into the good graces of the heroes. But acting like one, that's never been his style."

"Killian apologized, and he's been working to be a better person. He's done a lot since- "

But Rumpelstiltskin cut her off, "Since he tried to kill the entire town?"

"He was cursed Rumple," Belle cried.

He saw red as those words struck home. "Cursed," he hissed, leveling his little wife with a hard, "oh yes must be terrible being the big bad Dark One. However, did he survive it?"

"You chose that curse, Killian didn't."

"And that somehow makes our actions different?" Belle tried to cut in, but this particular rage had built in him for too long and he couldn't stem the tide. Words laced with venom continued to spill from his lips as he tried to make Belle understand the sheer hypocrisy of it all. Emma Swan chose the curse to save Regina then forced it onto her boyfriend and somehow those two were still morally above him "My actions were prodded by that same little voice and yet Hook gets a pass while I'm forced to pay for those mistakes over and over. The man who tried to kill me as soon as his memories of being a Dark One were restored – a man who turned on everyone around him without a second thought – gets another shot at redemption and I don't? He gets a pass, because he was _cursed_?" He practically spat the last word.

"You've had more than one shot at redemption," Belle pointed out stubbornly. "I understand that your angry. I do. But your rivalry with Killian doesn't make what you did right. It doesn't excuse all that you've done."

"I'm not making excuses Belle! But I don't want you living on this ship."

"Luckily, it's my life and you have no bearing on what I can or cannot do anymore."

"Belle," he tried, attempting to bury his anger behind his most placating voice, "please, reconsider. Let me help you and our child."

"I need to do this by myself."

"Then let me sign something over to you or rent you an apartment. Something aside from this bloody ship!" Rumpelstiltskin knew he sounded pathetic pleading with her like that, but he had to make her understand.

"Why does it matter?"

"You know why it matters."

Whether it was his desperate expression or her recognition of his discomfort about her living arrangement, something got through to her about the situation. Belle conceded ever so slightly. It was a mere nod acknowledging that she understood why this choice dug so deeply under his skin. It wasn't much, but maybe it was a start.

The two stood facing each other over the chasm that they'd created. Belle didn't understand the hypocrisy behind her willingness to forgive Hook but not him, to forgive everyone but him. And he couldn't stomach giving her his full trust again. He'd done it before and it had only led to heartbreak. How were they supposed to mend this rift? For their child, Rumpelstiltskin knew they had to, but neither knew where to begin.

But he had to start somewhere. His anger at the pirate and Belle's decision to stay on the _Jolly Roger_ had burned itself out. He just wanted to find common ground somewhere with his wife.

"Belle… I, I'm sorry I, I just wanted to uh… to make a fresh start," he pleaded. Rumpelstiltskin actually pleaded with her, hoping it might change something between them, might begin to bridge the chasm.

"I don't want to hear it," Belle replied coldly, shattering his hopes of ending their argument. Her face held nothing but contempt and perhaps a little disgust. From everyone else, he was accustomed to such looks, but from his True Love… "You know you've destroyed two lives, where there used to only be one. You just keep finding new ways to increase the suffering around you don't you. Jekyll, Hyde, the Count, that new boy, is there anyone from the Land of Untold Stories that you didn't harm?"

He'd been a fool to ever believe that she'd be able to overlook his past. He'd been a monster for far too long, performed too many dark deeds, and ruined too many lives to expect life would allow him anything resembling a happy ending. _You've been an abomination for longer than that_ , his curse reminded him.

But something about her last accusation set off a slight alarm. "What boy?"

"The one Henry's been hanging around," his ex-wife sighed as he clung to that piece of information instead of addressing her real grievances. "Surely you've seen him. He certainly knows you."

"I have been a bit preoccupied and Henry wants nothing to do with me," Rumpelstiltskin pushed down the misery that attempted to creep up on him at that statement. He'd ruined that relationship, not Bae's son. "How does this boy claim to know me?"

"You mean besides his being yet another victim of your darkness?"

"Belle," he sighed heavily, "I never hid who I was from you. You've always known that I'm a monster."

For the first time since the Dark Castle, she didn't berate him for thinking so little of himself. In light everything it wasn't surprising that she finally agreed with that title, but it still stung to see just how far he'd fallen in her eyes.

"According to him," Bell replied backing up to their original conversation, "you're the reason he spent some time as a cat."

Rumpelstiltskin's world tipped dangerously. It wasn't possible. His former apprentice was gone. "Ches is here?" He asked unable to completely conceal the affection evoked by that possibility.

The woman who'd once been so in tune with him seemed to barely notice his distress. "So, you have met. Glad to know you won't be lying about that."

Ignoring the barb, he tried for more honesty, "A long time ago, Ches was my apprentice. My first actually."

"I thought Cora was the first?"

"She liked to think herself special," he quipped and for the barest moment they were back to their old banter. Back to what they had been before he'd so wonderfully screwed up.

The moment ended as Belle seemed to realize what this new information could mean. "Is this another person who'll use me or our child to get revenge on you?"

Darkness filled the pawnbroker as he contemplated his former apprentice. No good could come from Cheshire's presence in town. "He'll do much worse."

"What did you do to him?"

Her question was met with a long silence. Rumpelstiltskin had berated himself for many years over where he went wrong with his first apprentice. He'd warned the boy of his darkness so many times and yet it still managed to consume them both. Honesty would provide a further example of the type of man he was, an example his (ex?) wife didn't need. But she had asked for honesty so many times. Even if it did nothing to help him, he had to try. Instead of trying to compact all of that into words he stuck to the simplest truth he could muster. "He betrayed me Belle. I..."

She cut him off before he could get any further, rolling her eyes at his acknowledgement, "You know what, I can't handle another horror story right now. Let's deal with the one at hand first."

Nodding slowly Rumpelstiltskin accepted her limits with some gratitude. She would find out soon enough. "Stay away from Cheshire," he begged knowing he had no right to do so. "Please."

"I'll keep your cautions in mind."

"It was never my intention to harm him."

"Then what was your intention? Why did you go to Jekyll in the first place?" she thought he was talking about Jekyll, perhaps that was for the best. Her current tirade against him indicated just how she would feel about his history with Cheshire. "What could possibly be worth all of this death and destruction? Why? Why did you do this?

She continued pushing. Telling her of his past would almost certainly push her even further away, but he'd already reserved to be honest with her. Belle wanted him to talk to her. Knowing it would blow up in his face, yet completely unable to stop himself, Rumpelstiltskin turned his eyes back to his True Love. "You. It was all about you. I sought him out when you became the maid in my castle all those years ago. Because I'd began to have feelings for you and I thought it would make me weak."

The cold, hard look remained, "And you thought what, that Jekyll's serum would rid you of those feelings?"

"I'd hoped," Rumpelstiltskin admitted much to his shame. "But the experiment was a failure. In anger I took his precious necklace and sent him to the land of untold stories. But it didn't solve anything and I'm glad that it didn't. Because I would never want to lose the love I feel for you." Difficult as it was, he maintained eye contact with her as he spoke. Begging for her to understand that the mistakes of his past where just that, his past.

He'd never lied to her about what he was. A monster who reveled in the darkness, who clung to the shadows, and dealt with the desperate. In the past he had been so reluctant to explain his many evil dealings and deeds. Above everything he wanted to preserve her light. To keep her from falling into the muck with him. But she wanted to know.

Once upon a time Rumpelstiltskin thought that Belle would be the one person able to look beyond all he had done. The one person in the world to see past the guise of the malevolent imp and accept him for what he was. Light and dark. Man, and monster. But perhaps he'd been wrong. _Of course, you were wrong spinner,_ his curse sang, _who could ever love you enough to stay forever._

"You locked me on that ship like a prisoner," Belle rightfully accused. "Did you even think about what would have happened if Jekyll had succeeded? What would have happened to our son?"

"I was only trying to protect you."

"I don't need your protection," his True Love cried. "Okay? Not at the cost I keep paying with you. No, you didn't cut your hair for me, you cut it for you. Because you are sick and tired of looking at the man in the mirror. But you forget I always see you for who you really are."

It was all he could do to contain the anger that surged through his veins in that moment. He hadn't realized that Jekyll was the danger, hadn't known that Hyde would stand by content to allow his other half to deal with the Dark One. He shouldn't have trapped her, that much was plain now, but Rumpelstiltskin had done everything he could to keep his reasons for living safe. And she didn't care. "Yeah," he whispered nodding and turning away.

He couldn't allow his anger to rule him, couldn't give the darkness inside him such a foothold where Belle was concerned. But her last lines echoed in his mind. She always saw him for who he was. Apparently, that was someone not capable of making a decision to start over on his own. Rumpelstiltskin made it all of four steps before turning back, rage filling him and making his words far harsher than any he'd used on Belle since throwing her from his castle.

"No. You may not think you need me Belle, but you will. You forget whose child it is your carrying. He will have a mark on his head by virtue of who he is and if you want what's best for him, you will come back to me." His voice was little more than a venomous hiss by the end.

Belle met his vitriol with equal fervor, "Threats won't make me love you again." Hearing her admit that he'd lost her love only confirmed what he already knew. It had only been a matter of time.

"No, but necessity will."

Rumpelstiltskin turned away from her then knowing in his heart that what he said wasn't true. Necessity could drive her back to him, but nothing could restore her love.

* * *

Aladdin took her to a small, cozy building that was apparently called a diner. An illuminated sign above the door proclaimed that Granny was the proprietor of the establishment.

"It's like a tavern," Aladdin was saying as he the way inside and towards a table. "Good food, good prices, manager's one tough old bird too."

He nodded to a sturdy looking old woman with gray hair and glasses. The woman certainly looked the part of a granny. A stunning young woman wearing a rather revealing uniform approached their table.

"Afternoon, Ms. Ruby" Aladdin voiced cheerfully, flashing a smile at the woman.

"Hey Al! How's it going?" the woman – apparently named Ruby – answered with a grin of equal measure, leaving Jasmine with a sinking feeling in her stomach. She must have missed Aladdin's response because now both of their eyes were locked on her.

"I'm sorry, did I miss something?" the former princess asked cautiously.

Ruby let out a bark of a laugh that somehow managed to sound kind instead of sharp. "No worries. I asked who you are?"

"My name is Jasmine."

"You and Al go way back?"

Thankfully "Al" took that question. "We've known each other for a while now. Jasmine here is something of a special case for me. She tried to escape palace life for a day and wound up on the wrong side of some palace guards. Lucky for her, I was there to save the day," the infuriating man gave her a wink as he shared their story.

Unable to allow him to continue Jasmine dove into the conversation, "yes and then I saved him from a hoard of mercenaries attempting to take his head."

"What about when I helped you escape that sorcerer what had it in for us?" Aladdin appealed

"You couldn't have done that with the Genie's help!" Jasmine countered cheekily. "How about when I saved you from the Cave of Wonders?"

Their game was ended by another chuckle from the beautiful server. "Sorry I asked guys. What'll you two be having?"

With matching sheepish looks the two diners looked down at their menus for the first time. Thankfully Ruby saved the day. "How about two orders of lasagna since it's the princesses first time?"

With that, the gorgeous server sauntered to the back. Jasmine turned a scolding eye onto her best friend. "Who is Ruby, Al?"

Laughter choked the man as he spread his hands across the table. "Not jealous are we Jasmine?" At her obviously affronted expression, Aladdin ended his teasing. "She's an old friend, been here since the first curse. Her Granny's the one what runs this place."

The former princess let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding and the knot in her stomach eased a bit. "I see. First curse?" Jasmine asked hoping to redirect the conversation from her spurt of ridiculous jealousy.

"Aye, there've been a fair few. And don't think I don't realize you're diverting the conversation. I'm just allowing it." The cheeky smile he shot her stemmed the harsh response she'd been about to release at his teasing. "But Ruby is an original. Been here since Storybrooke was created when the Queen enacted the Dark One's curse. A few people have been added on since then. What with Peter Pan, Wicked Witches, Snow Queens, Camelot, the Underworld, and now Hyde and all of you; we've picked up a fair few over the years."

"Sounds like a long story."

"It is, but not one we've time for right now." Aladdin grew serious as he leaned in towards her. Lowering his voice to little more than a whisper the former street rat began a different tale. "We need to talk about how we got separated and certain Genie in a certain bottle."

This was the conversation Jasmine had been dreading. Aladdin had disappeared from Agrabah so many years ago. She'd never found out why he left or where he went, she just knew that one day he was gone. "What happened to you? I didn't know if you'd run away or… one day you just weren't there."

A dark look settled across Aladdin's feature. "It was Jafar. Told me if I didn't help him, he'd curse your father and kill you. Said he'd made a deal he couldn't come through on and he needed a thief. If I helped him, he'd leave Agrabah forever. Seemed an easy enough decision."

"Aladdin, you didn't-"

"Course I did! He threatened you and if I succeeded our problems with him would be over."

Ruby returned with their food before they could delve any further into Aladdin's story. A few more pleasantries exchanged with Ruby and a quick explanation of what lasagna was later, and Jasmine fixed her friend with a furtive stare. "Obviously things didn't go to plan then."

Aladdin's brows knit together in agitation as he stared down at his plate. "It didn't," his voice was thick with agitation. "It was a trap for Jafar. Some nut job clerics wanted him and got a street rat instead. They threw me in a dungeon and that's where I stayed until the curse hit. Brought us all here and here I've been. No one really knows how to get back and the one time we went back, I couldn't find you."

Brown eyes met a similar shade across the seemingly great distance between them. What couldn't have been more than a few inches felt like a hundred miles. They'd been separated for so long and Jasmine had spent so many moments of that separation wondering if it had been her fault that he'd left. Knowing it wasn't… it was freeing.

"You came looking for me?

"Course I did," he answered with such undeniable passion that Jasmine's breath caught in her throat. "I never stopped."

Hesitantly she reached out and took the street rat's hand. The man they'd all told her wasn't good enough for her, the man they'd each told her she was better without, the only man to ever capture her heart hadn't given up on her. She'd doubted him and yet Aladdin was here and real and so very handsome in this new world. Jasmine's heart skipped a beat at that last thought, but she was done denying herself.

"I left Agrabah because my father grew ill from unnatural causes."

"Magic," Aladdin supplied with dark certainty.

She nodded, "I made a deal for a key that took us to the Land of Untold Stories. An eternal middle, a place where the illness couldn't take him. It gave us time to discover a way to save him."

"Did you find one?"

"No," Jasmine whispered as tears began stinging her eyes. "Now I don't know where he is. We were separated when Hyde brought us over. I don't even know if he's here. I hope he's not."

Aladdin's hand gently squeezed hers. It was such a simple gesture, but it meant so much to the princess lost in this new world. "Whatever happens," he promised, "we'll face it together. We'll find your father." For the first time the young man hesitated. "There's something else though… I met a gent here, goes by name of Will Scarlet. He and his girl they had some trouble out of Jafar in Wonderland."

"How did he get there?"

"Not sure exactly, but what matters is that he's a genie now. Trapped in a bottle. Can't get out."

"Well that's wonderful," Jasmine exclaimed unable to understand the gravity in Aladdin's tone. Surely keeping Jafar trapped was best for everyone.

"It was, until that bottle was stolen from me the day you lot got here."

Reality crashed down around her at the idea of someone letting Jafar lose on the unsuspecting citizens of Storybrooke. Or worse someone trying to use his wishes. "This is bad."

"Now we're on the same page."

"What do we do? Where would we even start?"

"Luckily I've a few ideas where to start looking." The mischievous glint she knew so well returned to his eyes. "What do you say Princess, up for another adventure?"

* * *

Rumpelstiltskin woke to find himself back in that damned cage he hated so much. He was clothed in nothing but an unbuttoned shirt and a pair of his suit pants. It was certainly more than he was accustomed to in this place and for that he was grateful. Lying in a heap on the rough stone floor he could feel straw sticking to him uncomfortably. As his senses came into sharp focus, the Dark One became aware of the bone chilling cold that surrounded him. The cellar was always cold, but today it seemed to sink deeper. Grasping at his very soul. Trying to drown all that he was in the bliss of nothingness.

A bright light blinded him as he heard the cellar door grate open. The annoying screech was followed by customary heels on the wooden steps. Tremors he couldn't manage to stop shook Rumpelstiltskin as he awaited Zelena and whatever sick game she wanted to play today. But it wasn't Zelena's voice that came to him across the oceans of cold darkness. It was the siren call that he imagined so often on nights like this. The soft lilting accent that he could never forget, filled with light and kindness.

"You're filthy," the voice of his salvation called out in what sounded like derision.

"Pathetic isn't it." And there was the voice that haunted so many of his dreams. The witch had come too. But if that were true, then Belle was in more danger than she knew.

"Belle," he whispered hoarsely as the former imp pulled himself heavily to his knees.

At the door of his cage, the two stood side by side in the dingy light of this sad place. Zelena dressed in all black, a hungry smile decorating her face while obsessive fixation gleamed from her eyes. Rumpelstiltskin shivered at the mere sight of her. In perfect contrast to Zelena's vile nature, light seemed to shine from Belle. Yet her normally loving eyes, held nothing but disgust.

"You think he'd at least try to be presentable," Belle admonished to Zelena.

"Yes well, you can only expect so much from such a creature," Zelena agreed. "Disgusting little worm."

He may be Zelena's broken toy but apparently, he still had enough pride to feel shame course through him. Belle shouldn't see him like this. She shouldn't see him groveling at the witch's feet. Begging, pleading, doing anything to stop the pain and violation. The trapped man hung his head, unable to look at either of them.

"What's the matter Rumple," the witch mocked, "don't like being put on display? Don't want anyone to know just how damaged you are?" Zelena's cackle grated at his very being. He was so tired of it all, so tired of being frightened by her. But while she held the dagger there was little he could do.

"Almost makes you just want to put him out of his misery," Belle laughed. Her mocking was worse than Zelena's. He deserved her ire after everything he'd done, after all the lies, but knowing he deserved it didn't stop the stabbing ache in his heart at her words. She didn't care that he was forced to be Zelena's punching bag and toy. Didn't care that his mind shattered and a piece chipped from his soul every time the witch forced him–

They entered the cage and Rumpelstiltskin flinched away, tremors growing with every passing moment. Zelena grabbed a fistful of his hair and pulled, forcing him to his feet. With one hand anchored at the back of his head she forced him to stare at the two women. "What-" he began to ask but was cut off by Zelena's hand running sensually across his chest.

He shuddered and silently pleaded that this wouldn't happen in front of Belle. Even if she hated him, even if she was disgusted by him, he couldn't bear her seeing this.

Zelena laughed as a tear slipped down his face, "You really want to have a child with this?" the witch asked.

"It's happening whether I want it or not," Belle answered with more than a little revulsion. "I'll be lashed to the beast for the rest of my life."

An evil glint flitted across Zelena's face at that. "We can take care of that now, can't we doll?" she whispered into his ear. "We took care of your firstborn, might as well deal with the second now."

Shaking his head violently Rumpelstiltskin gulped out a desperate, "No!"

"It'll be simple, pet. But I'm afraid we will have to take care of them both for this to work."

Fear clutched at Rumpelstiltskin in a manner he'd never known. "Zelena, p-please, please… please don't hurt them."

For the first time a flash of something like fear crossed Belle's face. As if she finally understood the danger she was in.

"I do love a respectful pet," Zelena purred pressing herself up against him.

"I'll do whatever you want," Rumpelstiltskin begged. "Hurt me all you want, but please leave them alone."

For a moment it seemed that the witch contemplated his request. Her face a hairs breadth from his, her breath hot and far, far too close. She leaned over to his ear once more and whispered a new order, "Kill them both, slowly."

Pain spilt Rumpelstiltskin's head as he tried to ignore the command. Belle turned to flee but the door to the cage slammed closed in front of her. No amount of shaking could make it budge. Zelena cackled and Rumpelstiltskin screamed, fighting with everything he had to refuse the command. But it was all in vain. His body moved of its own accord and sought Belle out.

Magic lashed out taking care of the child first. As his hands slipped around his True Love's throat and the light began to leave her eyes, Rumpelstiltskin felt the curse consume his soul. His reasons for living were gone. The spinner had no reason left to hold on…

Rumpelstiltskin's eyes flew open as he woke from the hellish nightmare. Sweat covered him from head to toe as violent shivers tore through his body. Taking in his surroundings, the Dark One worked on gaining control of his frantically beating heart and gasping breaths. He was in the backroom of the shop, sitting in a comfortable armchair.

Panic threatened to overcome him as he realized Belle wasn't here with him. He'd woken from many a nightmare and sought solace in her arms. She never asked what they'd been about, and he never divulged. Half the time he wasn't even certain she remembered the ordeal the next morning. Here and now, without her here to comfort him, Rumpelstiltskin felt as if he were floating. Adrift in his own recollections and fears.

Memories began filling him as he his senses fully returned to him. He hadn't meant to fall asleep. He'd been pouring over Henry's story book. Trying to find more of Cheshire's story. He obviously hadn't realized how tired he'd been. The past few days had been taxing, but Dark One's didn't need sleep. Rumpelstiltskin could sleep, but his latest nightmare proved to him all the more why he shouldn't.

Rubbing the heels of his hands against his eyes, the pawnbroker found wet patches on his face. Belle's words and her face from the dream continued to haunt him as he turned back to his work. He knew it wasn't real. Belle hadn't been harmed by Zelena.

As the nightmare faded, the sickening feeling in his gut lingered. He needed to see Belle.

A thought created a powerful glamour rendering him invisible and a wave of his hand took him to Belle. She was sleeping in the captain's quarters of the _Jolly Roger_. Relief poured through Rumpelstiltskin at seeing her there. Alive, well, and completely unharmed. Falling heavily into a chair next to the bed, he let his head fall into his hands.

These incidents were becoming more frequent instead of less so. He'd hoped that time would help him deal with the damage Zelena had wrecked. Yet here he sat, a grown man in a full-blown panic because of a nightmare. It was humiliating. He was only thankful that no one had been around to see. The dreams were getting worse. They had been since they found out Belle was pregnant, but now… now it was every time he closed his eyes.

Rumpelstiltskin knew, that after everything, he didn't deserve peace. But damn it all if he didn't want it. He'd give almost anything for a few hours of peaceful sleep. He may not need sleep, but it certainly helped him feel less drained and more human.

"I'm sorry," he whispered to his sleeping wife. Turning his attention to her he noticed her furrowed brow and clenched fists. Apparently, he wasn't the only one suffering from nightmares. Sleeping curses tended to have some nasty side effects.

Leaning over her he placed a hand just above her head. A thought from him pulled her from the red room she was assuredly stuck in and left her with more peaceful dreams. Her features eased instantly as her mind took her somewhere more pleasant.

The first smile he'd experienced in ages snuck up on him and tugged at the corners of his mouth. Even with bed head, crumpled night clothes, and her quiet snores; Belle was the most beautiful creature he'd ever laid eyes on. She was perfect. So very far above him.

But for this moment, he let everything else fade away. Gazing with restless abandon at the woman he loved with every tiny fragment of his heart and soul. Rumpelstiltskin's breathing eased as he basked in the knowledge that she and his child were safe. There were others who might try to hurt them to get to him, but today one of those threats had been vanquished.

He had to leave. Belle didn't want him here, not right now. Her presence might calm him, but his would most certainly upset her. With a weary sigh he banished thoughts of his dream to the furthest corners of his mind and stood heavily. After one last glance he walked away, leaving Belle to dream peacefully. If he thought he heard her whisper his name in her sleep, then surely it was just his imagination.

 _A/N: That was longer than I thought! If this chapter seemed a little anti-Hook don't forget that most of this chapter was Rumple's perspective. He has some negative views of our favorite one-handed pirate. While I definitely want to deal with some of the issues surrounding light, dark, good, evil, and all that, this is not an anti-Hook story. If it seemed anti-Zelena… well that's accurate! I love Zelena, but its because I love to hate her. As a psychopath Zelena is at her best, so expect more of that._

 _Also, I had another user (MerlockVonBaron) discuss using Cheshire in a story. If you like the idea of that character coming to live in a variety of ways, go check out the story, "Once Upon A Time: A What If Story."_

 _There will be a happy ending here, we've just got to get to it. Please let me know what you think in the comments and reviews. Thanks for reading!_

 _Next chapter: Will take place on the evening of Jekyll and Hyde's defeat. Aladdin and Jasmine begin their search for Jafar. The town has a meeting where the citizens get a chance to be heard. Ches and Rumple meet. Probably more angst!_


	5. Wouldn't Have Come Here pt 2

_A/N: What's up everybody! So I just churned this chapter out and since it's a companion piece to the previous one I decided to leave it on the short side of life. Sorry it's taken so long, but life has gotten crazy and out of control. I'm not abandoning this story, I've gotten too much of it written for that. But it will be slow going for a bit._

Sighing heavily, Emma reminded herself for the hundredth time that this town meeting had been necessary. The people of Storybrooke had several legitimate concerns, however; discussing those concerns for the past two hours had not been a part of Emma's evening plans. So far they'd discussed: job security for the original inhabitants of Storybrooke, food and clothing provisions for the newest additions, concerns about the people from the Land of Untold Stories, concerns from those people about the citizens of Storybrooke, the creation of classes for newcomers without cursed memories to help them deal with the oddities of the Land Without Magic, the laws of varying lands, and how those laws applied in Storybrooke as well as whether or not some of those should be carried over.

Each new topic had brought a new argument with it and Emma found herself regretting ever deciding to take on the position of Storybrooke's Sheriff. An ache that had slowly formed above her left eye, had now spread into a full-blown headache. One that only worsened as Happy continued his spill about the lack of mine dust. Finally, the dwarf sat down and David called for any final issues.

It was too much for Emma to hope that no one would speak up.

"I'd like to express a concern," came an all too familiar voice. Ruby stood and addressed the assembled citizens. "What are we going to do about the Evil Queen?"

"We're handling that at the moment," was Emma's knee jerk response. Meeting the eyes of the young werewolf, Emma realized that answer simply wasn't good enough anymore.

Grumpy beat both women to a response, "You're always handling it. How do we know we'll be safe while she's out there?"

Providing the gathered individuals with her best caring and calm look, Snow answered. "We are doing everything within our power to limit the actions of the Evil Queen. Honestly, she is a danger. But we've beaten her many times before and we will this time as well."

Some heads nodded in satisfaction, but Emma could see that not everyone was so easily convinced.

Apparently, Granny fell into the not convinced category. "And what about the person responsible for creating this problem?" the older woman asked.

All eyes instantly turned to Regina. The Mayor fixed her gaze on the older woman and held her head high. "I didn't purposefully unleash the Evil Queen if that's what you're suggesting."

"I'm not suggesting anything," Granny replied. "I'm saying that you are responsible for this mess."

"Regina didn't know that she was unleashing her dark side," Snow defended. "We thought she was destroying it."

Before anyone could dissent or blame Regina further, the Mayor spoke up again. "I am doing everything in my power to deal with this issue. Please believe me when I say that I want the Evil Queen gone just as much, if not more, than you do."

At the silence that followed, Emma jumped in to defend her friend. "Regina's been helping us this whole time. She helped us working against Hyde and she'll help us against the Evil Queen."

"What about Hyde?" one of the citizens from the Land of Untold Stories asked.

"Both Jekyll and Hyde are no longer threats to the town," Emma reminded.

"Yeah because they're dead," Granny snorted.

"Which is taken care of-"

"What about those that he left behind. How do we deal with anyone new who wants to cause trouble?" Jefferson spoke up from his spot in the crowd.

Leaning forward in his seat, David fielded the hatter's question. "We'll cross that bridge when and if we get to it."

"This is the Dark One's fault. Why isn't he here fixing it?" Grumpy spoke up again.

"We already dealt with Jekyll and Hyde, we'll deal with any of their minions as we come across them." Emma said rolling her eyes as they approached this subject once again. "Rumpelstiltskin is staying out of our way for the moment"

"Yeah and how long is that going to last," Grumpy protested.

"For now, it's all we can ask," David assured.

It seemed that Granny was done holding her silence. "So, the Dark One gets to walk free then?" the old lady questioned.

"We are not picking a fight with Rumpelstiltskin unless we have to," David replied sternly. "We have enough going on without that."

"We also have to consider that we have absolutely no way to contain him," Snow added.

"We managed for before back in enchanted forest," Grumpy protested again.

"Because he wanted us to," David retorted in exasperation.

"What about the witch you're all so friendly and now?" Granny interjected. "She contained him for the better part of the year. Ask her."

Emma felt her stomach twist uncomfortably at that insinuation. She well remembered the cage and conditions Zelena had kept Rumpelstiltskin in. The conditions she'd kept Neal in as well. A rogue shiver raced down the sheriff's spine. Regardless of what happened next Zelena's aide wasn't an option where Rumpelstiltskin was concerned.

Hoping to get the conversation back on track Emma jumped into the fray with the most calming voice she could manage. "At the moment, Gold is minding his own business. We don't know that he's working with the queen-"

"Of course, he's working with the queen!" Grumpy interrupted.

"They always work together," a voice that might have been Whale called from the back of the room.

"Rumpelstiltskin works for himself no one else," Regina said as she stood from her seat at the head table. "We need to stay focused right now. The Evil Queen is our enemy and main goal. If Rumpelstiltskin decides to ally with her, then we will deal with him. Until that time, we have to focus on the real enemy. Let's get past the Evil Queen, then we can deal with everything and everyone else."

In that moment, Emma understood what it meant for someone to be born and bred into royalty. Regina's entire bearing changed as she addressed the citizens of Storybrooke. However, instead of the usual terrifying and ferocious manner of the former Evil Queen; Regina spoke to the people as a leader concerned about their best interests. For all her father's bold leadership and her mother's hopeful speeches, neither could pull off the stern and final tone of a woman accustomed to having her way.

Surprisingly, it seemed the people of Storybrooke took comfort in their former tormentor's words. People nodded as one by one the stood and left the town hall.

Emma experienced yet another shock as she watched Belle walk past deep in conversation with Blue. The woman hadn't spoken up at all in defense of her one-time True Love. Whatever the relationship between those two, it obviously wasn't going well.

Letting out a long sigh Emma turned her attention away from the Librarian and onto her family. They'd handled the town meeting as a unit and for that she was proud. But now the difficult work lay ahead of them. How did they handle the Evil Queen?

* * *

Walking home from the town meeting had taken a lot out of the beauty. The docks were further from the town's center than she was accustomed to walking each night. But hopefully she wouldn't be making the long trek for much longer. Her discussion with Blue about staying at the convent until the baby was born had gone well. She'd been promised a place for as long as needed.

Belle barely managed to slip into her night gown and pull the thin blankets over her before she'd fallen into a deep sleep…

…and immediately found herself in the burning red room she'd become accustomed to. Sighing the bookworm curled into a tight ball in the middle of the room. If she closed her eyes and pretended that she couldn't feel the heat from the flames, she could (sometimes) get a few hours of actual rest. Shifting to get comfortable, Belle felt a sharp sting as her arm came too close to the flames. With a curse she realized that tonight apparently wouldn't be one of those nights.

Evenings like this forced the beauty to curse her rash actions in the Underworld. At the time it seemed that there had been no other option than cursing herself into a permanent stasis. Yet now that she had to live with these side effects she wondered if there hadn't been a better way. What might have happened if she'd just trusted Rumpelstiltskin when he said he would protect her?

She'd killed Gaston to protect her husband and haunting as that act was, Belle knew that she would make that same decision every time. Regardless of how much she currently disliked the man, she couldn't stand the thought of him dying again. That weakness had caused her to stand with him far too often though. Belle had to take a stand against the evil that corrupted Rumpelstiltskin. She had to be a hero.

Shuddering as the flames came closer, Belle tightened her arms around her torso and attempted to banish all thoughts of her former husband. She didn't need to torture herself while she was here.

Suddenly everything changed. She felt herself being pulled from the burning red room into a far more pleasant place. In the moment between waking and sleeping when everything remained fuzzy from the dream yet held a hint of the real world, Belle saw the man who would always hold her heart. Protectively standing over her, his hand brushed lightly across her cheek as the corner of his mouth twitched in the way that meant he was thinking fondly about something. Before she could get a better glimpse of him, he turned away. Shoulders slumped in the defeated manner all to common these days, he walked away from her.

 _Rumple_ she sighed quietly before sleep took her once more.

Belle found herself in her favorite room of the Dark Castle. Towering rows of books lined the walls and stretched all the way to the ceiling. Curled up in her favorite armchair by the large window that overlooked the gardens, Belle lost herself in the pages of yet another book.

At least until said book was plucked from her hands.

"You really are a terrible maid," the imp scoffed as he looked over the book she'd been reading.

Fixing Rumpelstiltskin with a withering look she snorted in reply. "If you wanted me to clean more, you shouldn't have shown me the library."

"If I'd known what a mistake it would be my dear, I never would have brought you near it."

Rolling her eyes, the beauty lunged from her chair to snatch back her book. But the graceful imp danced away from her book held firmly in his grasp. "Ah ah dearie, you'll have to earn it back." His tone was mocking, but the playful glint to his eyes suggested that he was having just as much fun as Belle.

"And how exactly do I accomplish that, oh great and terrible Dark One?"

The shy grin that tugged at Rumpelstiltskin's lips reminded Belle why she fell in love with the infuriating being in the first place. "How about a dance?" he asked as he tossed the book aside and bowed to her extending a hand.

As a goofy smile spread across her face and a bit of red tinged her cheeks, Belle accepted his hand. Rumpelstiltskin pulled her close to his chest as a haunting music filled the room. Their song.

The two lost themselves in one another as they moved in time to the rhythm. The song cast its spell over the beauty and her beast reminding each of how well they fit together and how easy it was for one to tune into the other. Things had been so perfect and so simple, here in the place where they'd fallen so deeply in love.

Tears spilling from her eyes, Belle awoke with a start to find daylight shining through the porthole of the _Jolly Roger_. As she gained her bearings, the bookworm felt the loss of Rumpelstiltskin and all they'd shared more acutely than she had in far too long. The imp from the Dark Castle had charmed her in a way that no other man ever could. And yet here in Storybrooke everything had fallen apart so swiftly.

Closing her eyes, she felt his hands ghost over hers once more before the dream faded away into the light of dawn. They couldn't go back. No matter how much she longed to, they'd made their choices. Rumpelstiltskin had chosen his power over her far too many times. She couldn't go back.

Belle only hoped that if she told herself that often enough, she might actually believe it one day.

* * *

The tiny shop bell rang merrily as Henry cautiously entered the pawnshop. The happy chime of the bell seemed at odds to the dark and lonely store front, and its sole occupant. Rumpelstiltskin stood behind the front counter pouring over a book resting on the glass top.

Without looking up the Dark One welcomed his grandson. "Thank you for stopping by Henry."

"I was surprised by your text," Henry replied coldly. Rumpelstiltskin merely nodded at his book in response. "You said it was urgent," the young man reminded his grandfather.

"Indeed, I did," Rumpelstiltskin said finally lifting his eyes to Henry.

Warm brown eyes met their counterpart as the two stood across from one another. Once upon a time Henry wanted to know more about the man in front of him. He'd wanted a relationship with the man who'd known his father the longest. But time had shown the Author just what kind of man Rumpelstiltskin was and that man wasn't one he had any interest in getting to know.

"So, what do you want?" Henry asked maintaining the steel in his voice.

Something that might have been disappointment flitted through Rumpelstiltskin's expression before being concealed behind the man's walls. Henry wondered at that for a moment. Why would the Dark One be disappointed that Henry wanted as little to do with him as possible?

Sighing Rumpelstiltskin finally answered his question. "I need a favor from you."

"What kind of favor?"

"I need you to deliver something for me."

"Why not do it yourself?"

Rumpelstiltskin shifted uncomfortably. "It wouldn't be accepted if it came from me."

Putting two and two together was quite simple in this matter. "What do you want me to give Belle?"

At one point in his life the brief look of appraisal the older man shot him would have brightened Henry's day to no end. Now he barely registered it.

"Do you recall the necklace I gave you that helped you deal with the after effects of the sleeping curse?"

Henry nodded in return.

"I've created a similar one for Belle for the same reason," Rumpelstiltskin explained holding up said object for Henry's inspection.

Henry didn't budge. "How do I know it does what you say it will?"

Yet again the Dark One looked crestfallen for a moment before burying whatever emotions he was feeling, if he actually felt anything. "I give you my word-"

"That means nothing to me."

"I'll owe you a favor in return," the former imp attempted.

For a moment, Henry contemplated that. Having Rumpelstiltskin in his debt could come in handy in the coming fight, conversely it could also blow up in his face. With the latter being the most likely. Shaking his head, Henry refused the proffered favor.

"Henry please," Rumpelstiltskin pleaded as he shifted his gaze down to the necklace.

Taking a step towards the door, Henry shook his head once more. "I don't trust you and I'm not sorry for that. If Belle needs help with the side effects, I'll get my mom to help her."

"Your mother can't cast the necessary spell," the Dark One snapped as his frustration brimmed to the surface.

"And why is that? Because that isn't what you say it is and you need it on Belle for some reason or another?"

"It takes proper intent to cast, your mother doesn't feel the proper emotions-"

"Save it," Henry spat as he turned and marched to the door.

From behind him he barely heard the imp mumble, "I was afraid of this."

Tugging on the door with more force than strictly necessary, Henry nearly toppled over when the door refused to budge. "Let me out," the youth called without turning around.

"I can't do that yet," his grandfather's voice came from right behind him.

Spinning in surprise, Henry didn't notice the hand that kept him from falling as shock threw him off balance. He also didn't notice the glow of magic that covered Rumpelstiltskin's hands as they held onto the boy's shoulders.

* * *

Rumpelstiltskin watched from the front window as Henry made his way across Main Street and into the library. It was early yet and a Saturday. Belle wouldn't be in for another thirty minutes or so, but the boy surely wouldn't find trouble at the library. Well at least not the top floor.

He hated manipulating his grandson, but Belle needed rest. For herself and the child. And she certainly wouldn't take anything from him. Not willingly at least. Not after their disastrous discussion at the docks.

Rumpelstiltskin held his post at the front window until he saw an exhausted looking Belle make her way into the library. Satisfied that his delivery would be made, the Dark One turned back to the lonely pawnshop. Cluttered shelves reminded him of the long inventory he'd been running in order to keep him occupied. Spinning had lost all its joy after Zelena, but he found that looking over the many items in his shop kept him occupied well enough.

With a heavy heart and a busy mind, Rumpelstiltskin settled back into his routine. Hoping against hope that perhaps tonight his own nightmares would allow him a moments peace as well.

* * *

"Don't take this the wrong way boss lady, but you look like hell," Ches observed as the librarian slung her bag onto the circulation desk.

Giving Cheshire and Henry a tired but warm smile, Belle sank heavily into the chair behind the desk. "Aren't you my employee and supposed to show me respect and all that?" she smirked.

"I could always lie to you if it makes you feel better," Cheshire returned with a grin that was all teeth.

Belle's face fell at that. "No, I'd much rather have the truth."

Full of concern for his almost grandmother, Henry couldn't contain his curiosity. "Having trouble sleeping?"

Yawning Belle nodded. "I have been ever since the sleeping curse."

An odd look crossed Cheshire's face at the beauty's admission. "You've been under a sleeping curse?"

Sheepishly Belle looked over to her employee. "Self-inflicted. It's a long story."

"I had the same problem after I was under one," Henry said.

"You too?" Ches asked bewildered. "Must be something in the water around here."

"Actually, it's the apples," Belle smirked.

Sharing a laugh at the newcomer's expense and thinking back on his past experience with the curse, Henry realized that he actually had the power to help someone this time around. The boy quickly searched his pockets and found what he'd been looking for. He couldn't remember why he'd thought to pocket the necklace Rumpelstiltskin had given him so many years ago, but for whatever reason he had.

"Belle," Henry exclaimed. "I have something that might help you."

Thrusting the necklace into her hands, the teenager explained what the necklace did and how it worked.

"This will help?" Belle asked uncertainly.

"I promise a good night's sleep every time you use it," Henry replied.

"Thank you," the book worm said as she pulled Henry into a tight hug.

Neither noticed the dark look that crossed Cheshire's face as he stalked from the area to reshelf books. _Rumple's still a clever old bastard I'll give him that_ , Ches thought. It was little concern though. He'd spent the past several days worming his way into Belle's good graces. He would turn the tide on the Dark One soon enough. And then, he'd finally complete the mission he'd begun so many years ago.

 _A/N: Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed the bit of light amidst the ocean of angst ;). There is a happy ending coming, it's just a ways off for now. We have to get a bit darker before we can lighten up. As always I'll see you guys in the next chapter (hopefully that's soon!)._


	6. The Great Puzzle

_A/N: This story lives! I swear I've not abandoned it, it's just really hard to write sometimes because of the mindset necessary. That being said, I've got so much of this story mapped out all it is going to take is me dedicating the time necessary for it. So, bear with me you guys! I'm going to try for a once a month update for this one. Because these chapters are so ridiculously long, I think that is all I will be able to manage. Thank you so much to everyone who has hung in there with this story, we are not done yet and it's got to get a bit darker before we can hit the light, but I threw in some fluff and sarcasm to keep a bit lighter._

 _Also, I am in the market for a beta. If you know of anyone or you are interested, please shoot me a message! Hope you guys enjoy._

The house creaked in a still unfamiliar manner as night descended further around it. Sitting on the couch and looking out at the harbor, Emma found that she didn't mind the noisy old joints as they settled around her. This house was meant to be the start of something more for her. A happy beginning.

And yet tonight she found herself plagued once more by dreams she couldn't silence. Nightmares -if they could even be called such - continued to dog her every attempt at sleep. Every time she closed her eyes, she dreamed of the damned sword. Each night she visited the darkened streets of Main Street and found herself crouching over the weapon in front of the library.

On some nights she merely looked at the blade, on others she reached out to touch it, and on a few rare occasions she'd even wielded the weapon for a few moments before waking. In the instances where she'd held the sword, Emma could feel sheer power thrumming through the blade. Immensely powerful though it was, the sword felt right in her inexperienced hands.

The only constant with the dreams was the urgent sense of foreboding that filled her as she neared the weapon. Brief flashes of obscure visions danced at the edge of her comprehension. In her hands the sword felt right, but something told her that it could not be allowed to fall into the wrong hands.

"Love?" A soft voice called to her, pulling the savior from her thoughts.

Looking up she noticed Killian standing in front of her peering down worriedly. Dressed in a t-shirt and flannel pants, her True Love's domestic look drove some of the trepidation from her. The soft smile she offered apparently did little to assuage her True Love.

"What's wrong Emma?" He asked concern lacing his words as he fell onto the seat beside her.

"Nothing," she shrugged.

Killian obviously wasn't fooled. Taking her hand into his he pried further. "Nothing usually doesn't keep you up at all hours of the night."

Fixing her eyes on their intertwined hands, Emma allowed her mind to work. These dreams were probably nothing more than some subconscious fear manifesting itself. It couldn't hurt to share her troubles with the man she'd literally gone through hell with. And yet... sharing her feelings had never been a strong suit of hers.

"It's just dreams, that's all," replied Emma, settling on a half-truth.

"Anything too troubling?"

Emma shook her head and leaned into Killian. "Just the usual." Gods knew she had enough memories to warrant such terrifying dreams. Thankfully Killian didn't pry any further.

A quick kiss was planted on the top of her head as he settled in against her. "Why don't we go back to bed then?"

Emma had to admit the idea had some merit, but so did remaining in their cozy spot curled up on the couch. In the arms of her True Love, dreamless sleep finally found Emma.

* * *

Objectively, Henry knew that Hook was only trying to bond with him. In reality though, the pirate was driving him absolutely insane. He and Hook might never have the father-son bond that Hook was obviously striving for, but Henry liked the man well enough. Or at least he no longer harbored any real resentment towards Hook. Like all things worthwhile their relationship just needed time and effort to work.

Hook, however, didn't seem to understand that. Since announcing his plans to marry Emma, Hook had taken to constant awkward attempts at bonding with him. Not that Henry minded the attention all that much, but the insipid pirate kept trying to monopolize his time. Between sailing lessons, homework, and working on his swordsmanship – with both gramps and Hook – Henry found barely any time to socialize. Which meant that his relationship with Violet was on the rocks once again and he hadn't gotten to spend any time at all with his only other friend.

Sulking his way down Main Street, Henry did his best to avoid Hook's attention today. He'd spent the evening at Regina's mansion, away from crying newborns and embarrassing situations with Emma and Hook. Which meant that he'd gone to sleep at a reasonable hour and awoken early enough to grab a quick breakfast to go at Granny's and make his way to the library.

While a deep-seated love of the written word had driven him into the library often enough, that wasn't his goal for today. No, today he had a very important meeting with the only teenager his age – well at least in looks – that he actually got along with.

"Henry," Cheshire called from the bowels of library shelves.

Holding up the sack of bagels, Henry smiled in the direction of his friend's voice. "I brought breakfast."

A large manic grin was the first thing that alerted Henry to Cheshire's location. "And what, might I ask, is your price for such kindness," Ches asked sauntering out of the shelves and over to the circulation desk.

"Who says there's a price involved at all."

"Everything comes with a price."

Plopping the bag of food onto the circulation desk, Henry pulled himself onto the counter and stared his friend down. Something about Cheshire had struck a chord of familiarity within Henry since the moment he'd met him. That chord vibrated once more at the boy's words. Cheshire hadn't explained much of his past yet, but Henry hoped that he could get the mysterious boy to open up sooner rather than later.

Throwing on a quick smile to hide his true thoughts, Henry hummed to himself as he pretended to make up his mind. "How about in exchange for some of Granny's best bagels, you beguile me with stories of Wonderland."

A pleased shift in Cheshire's expression told Henry that he'd won a round. "Best bagels you say?"

"According to Granny at least."

"Well then I guess you have yourself a deal."

Smiling to himself, Henry hopped over the counter and slid into the rolling chair. Propping his feet up onto the counter he made himself comfortable and picked a bagel from the bag. Cheshire sprawled back on the top of the desk and caught the bag of bagels when Henry tossed it.

"So… Wonderland then."

* * *

For the first time since her return, Belle walked into the library fully rested. It was quite marvelous just how much a good night's sleep could change her attitude. Sauntering in through the front door the first noise that reached her ears was laughter.

"Then the girl dives behind a pillar and when the monster rounds the corner - moments before it snaps her up in her in its jaws - the girl swung her mighty sword and ran it into the beast's gullet. Pinning it to the wall with the vorpal blade for all eternity." Cheshire was perched lazily on the circulation desk as he animatedly told his story to his captive audience. In this position it was the simplest thing to picture him as a cat.

"So, what you're saying is that you defeated the Jabberwock?" Henry asked with huge eyes trained on Ches. Belle could detect only the slightest hint of disbelief coloring the younger boy's voice.

"Course not," Ches scoffed with a bat of his hand. "I'm merely saying that without my deal, Alice would've been food for the jubjub birds."

"What if I say I don't believe you? And that I think you're nuts?" Henry countered. And Belle knew that tone, the boy would be researching his storybook tonight without question.

From her position by the door, Belle couldn't see Ches's face, but she could hear the smile that must have extended across his face. "To start with, I'd say you weren't to the first to imply that I'm mad. And then I'd follow that by stating that you don't have to believe in something for it to be the truth. Many people see the truth around them daily and choose ignore it completely."

Finding herself incapable of holding her tongue any longer, Belle stepped forward startling the two boys. "I can't tell if that's the wisest thing I've heard or the dumbest," she announced eliciting a snicker from Henry. "I didn't know I was paying you to sit around and gossip?" She quipped with a smile.

"Looks like the slave driver's arrived," Henry muttered to his friend with a glint of mischief flashing through his eyes.

"Slave driver?" Belle laughed. "Is that what he calls me behind my back?"

Shooting a wink at Henry and turning a wicked grin on her, Ches kept lightly off the desk and danced over to her in a manner that momentarily took Belle's breath away by its obvious familiarity.

"Mistress Belle," Ches said, "such horrible words do not do someone such as you justice. Of course, no one would refer to you in such a manner. My poor deluded friend here-" to which Henry cut in with a loud "hey" and by throwing a wad of paper at Ches "- doesn't know what he's talking about. You're no slave driver. More a benevolent guardian of the written treasure."

The words flowed like silk from his tongue even as he took her hand and cheekily planted a kiss on it. For the first time, Belle wondered if perhaps Rumpelstiltskin's warning about the boy might hold some weight. Certainly, he was just joking in this moment, but what about when he turned on his charms for real? This boy could be trouble. Long months of living with a manipulative master mind helped Belle to keep all these thoughts behind a mask of sarcastic exasperation.

Leaning towards him she stage whispered, "flattery will only get you so far in life. One day pretty words won't be enough to get you out of trouble."

"I like my chances," Cheshire shrugged with a wink and a bow that she could tell he'd immolated from someone else.

With a quick reminder that she'd chosen to keep Cheshire as help despite knowing his background, Belle rolled her eyes to mask her quaking heart. "Well what are the chances of you two helping me take inventory for the rest of the day?"

Both boys shot her identical smiles as they shot to her side. "Your chances look pretty good," Henry acknowledged.

By keeping her hands and mind busy, Belle managed to drown her sorrows and anger while in the company of two overly rambunctious teenage boys.

* * *

"Let me get this straight. You think that the Dark One has Jafar's lamp in his pawn shop and you want to sneak in and steal it?" Jasmine could hear the blatant disbelief coloring her voice and she only hoped Aladdin could as well.

"No," he replied with a smile, momentarily relieving her of her fears. "I think there's a chance the Dark One has the lamp and I want for us to sneak in and steal it." That infuriating smile of his did little to assuage the princess's fears.

Burying her head in her hands, Jasmine sighed as her hopes of a quiet evening were dashed. "Aladdin that's insane. He's the Dark One if he catches us…"

"Who says he'll catch us?" Before she could even attempt to answer, Aladdin pulled her hands into his and quickly reassured her. "Jas, I'm the best thief in all the realms-"

"That's rather a presumptuous title."

"-without question," he continued as if she hadn't interrupted. "If anyone can do this its me. Besides, I though you were always up for an adventure Princess."

"An adventure sure. But this is suicide!"

"Only if he catches us."

"And you might be a thief, but I'm certainly not. I'm dead clumsy. What if I knock something over, or trip and alert him, or something equally as awful?"

"That's why you're the look out," he smiled undaunted in the face of her protests.

The two sat in silence for several long moments as Jasmine contemplated each and every manner in which his plan could go wrong. The quaint graveyard in which they sat seemed to mock their very thoughts. _This is suicide_ she screamed internally.

Apparently, her face displayed just how little confidence she had in this plan because Aladdin gripped her hands tighter and attempted comforting her once again. "Look it's a simple plan Princess. In my experience the simpler the plan the less likely it is to go wrong. We wait for darkness, wait for him to head home, then I sneak in, find the lamp, and we're out. Easy as cake."

"It is a good plan," an unfamiliar voice called over to the huddled plotters, causing them both to freeze, "but I wonder if that's the best you can come up with?"

A beautiful woman with mousy brown hair pulled into a tight bun stepped out of the shadows of the graveyard. The maternal smile she wore seemed at odds with the somewhat darker gleam apparent in her eyes. A chill traveled slowly down Jasmine's spine at the sight of the woman. However, she wasn't certain if the chill was from the fact that they'd been caught or the almost obnoxious piety that seemed to cling to the woman's frame.

To her surprise, Aladdin smiled at the sight of the mysterious woman. "Hello Blue," he called, beckoning the stranger closer. "Fancy seeing you here."

"At my own convent?" Blue asked in a motherly laugh. "I'm sorry I don't believe we've met," she continued turning her attention to Jasmine.

Grinning in spite of her discomfort, Jasmine introduced herself to the strange woman. "Hi, I'm Jasmine of Agrabah. I came over with the others from the Land of Untold Stories." The words had become rote memorization for her over the past few days as she continuously introduced herself to the many denizens of Storybrooke.

"Well met, Jasmine. I'm glad to see you've found someone to show you the ins and outs of our quaint little town," Blue replied with a smile that might have been kind if it had ever reached her eyes. "I'm the Blue Fairy, though most just call me Blue."

Jasmine's eyes widened with shock at that name. She'd heard of the Blue Fairy repeatedly as a child. Fairies were common to all realms and Agrabah had not been excluded from their magic. Her own patron fairy had been the one to gift Jasmine with the knowledge of the Land of Untold Stories when her father had become so sick. To meet the patron mother of all fairies was a privilege the young princess did not think she'd ever be granted.

"I'm honored to meet you," Jasmine answered with every ounce of gracious civility she could manage.

The Blue Fairy turned her attention back to Aladdin. "As I was saying your plan is decent, but I wonder if you couldn't use a little help in tweaking it just a bit."

A dashingly rogue smile split Aladdin's face. "What exactly were you thinking Blue?"

"I was thinking that I could use the aid of a master thief like yourself," said Blue in what might possibly have been a charming voice. "And we happen to be looking for objects in the same place."

"You need to steal from the Dark One," Jasmine interjected. What could the Blue Fairy possibly need to steal from the darkest of creatures?

The motherly look Blue turned on her was anything other than comforting. "I do. He has possession of Pandora's Box and has mishandled the device on far too many occasions. Several innocents have found themselves trapped in that box at his hands. It's time it was placed in capable hands once more."

Aladdin nodded at the sage woman's words, but the odd feeling that had plagued her since meeting the fairy urged a chill up Jasmine's spine. Something about this situation troubled the princess.

"Well I'm the man for the job, love. What is you need?"

"If you can break into the pawnshop, I can provide a viable distraction."

Noting the twinkle in Aladdin's eye that promised he was about to jump head first into something, Jasmine pulled the reigns. "What kind of distraction will you be providing and how do we know it will be enough time? Or that he will even fall for it?"

A darkness that had no business crossing the head fairy's face twitched across her expression. "The Dark One has one exceedingly reliable weakness," Blue informed the two thieves. "Push that nerve and he will jump every time. Besides, this particular weakness owes me a favor."

Jasmine could tell that the Blue Fairy's words affected Aladdin in much the same way they were affecting her, but neither of them could pass up this possible opportunity. They had to prevent Jafar from gaining power or being released. If they didn't, the Storybrooke would be facing yet another villain.

Desperate and out of options, Aladdin and Jasmine took the Blue Fairy's offer. Under the circumstances, what else could they do.

* * *

After several hours of checking and sorting through books and the three library workers decided it was time for a well-deserved break. With Chinese food delivered from Mushu's the three companions settled down for a moment of rest and relaxation.

Legs propped onto the table and leaning his chair back on two legs, Cheshire decided the current setting would allow for a proper bit of pot stirring. "So, Henry," Ches purred "what are the females like in this land?"

Both Belle and Henry guffawed at his boldness. Henry turned an excellent shade of red at the same time Belle choked on her food. "Sorry?" Henry squeaked.

Throwing on his best wicked grin, Cheshire tried again. "I simply asked what the girls are like in this land? You know, what are the rules for courting someone, are they beholden to any stations or rules. That kind of thing." If possible, Henry's face turned an even deeper shade of red, much to the former cat's pleasure. "But perhaps you're just untried in such areas, my mistake."

"I'm not untried," Henry protested in a high breaking voice.

A snort from the librarian alerted Ches to her attempts to hide her laughter behind her box of take out. Feeling further emboldened, Cheshire persisted. "Well then do tell. Can't keep all of them for yourself."

"There aren't… I mean of course, that is to say…" Henry spluttered incoherently. "What I mean is…"

It took every ounce of will power to keep his laughter contained at the teens struggles. Unfortunately, Belle took pity on Henry.

"There aren't any stations or caste systems in this world Ches," Belle supplied with a wink at Henry. "Some, especially former royalty, do tend to cling to some of the old ways. But most everyone sticks to the principles of this world. As long as you love each other you're usually set. Though it's typically tradition for a suitor to ask permission from their intendeds' father or mother before anything as serious as a wedding."

"Yeah," Henry added as he came back on balance, "most people are just looking for happiness."

"Are you most people Henry?" Cheshire asked shooting a wink at Belle who once again had to stifle her laughter. "Just looking for happiness?"

Henry blushed. "Maybe," he answered defiantly.

This didn't shock Cheshire at all. "So, you do have a young lady in your life? I knew it. Does she have any friends?"

This time Belle couldn't choke back her laugh quickly enough. "Aren't you rather old for any of the girls Henry knows?" the nosey bookworm questioned.

"I'm mentally mature," he answered easily with a waggle of his eyebrows at the still blushing teenager. "Tell me about your lady Henry."

Henry's eyes danced across to Belle narrowing at her obvious enjoyment of his discomfort before they alighted on Cheshire. However, his voice remained surprisingly even when he responded. "Her name is Violet. She's from Camelot and yes, she does have friends. Though a few of them are allergic to cats."

The legs of Cheshire's chair slammed into the floor as he found himself on the receiving end of Henry's teasing. Belle's giggling brought a small bubble of laughter from Ches as well.

Belle interjected before Cheshire was able to fully recover from his shock. "Oh, Henry don't be so dour. I'm sure Violet has many friends who love cats. Ches here will be an obvious catch. Plus, he's traveled the realms and he's mentally mature."

Gentle teasing from both of his companions left a strange feeling of warmth spreading through Cheshire's chest. He wasn't accustomed to such easy companionship. Mentally shaking himself he brought himself back on balance. He couldn't allow his feelings to get in the way. These two were pawns, and one didn't get attached to pawns.

"Belle makes valid points Henry," Cheshire admitted retaining their light tone. "I am quite the catch. You'll have to introduce me to your lady and her friends sometime soon." Henry's face fell ever so slightly at that proposition. "Something wrong?" Cheshire asked bluntly before he could stop himself.

Shifting uncomfortably Henry ducked his head into his box of take out. "I'm sorry," said Ches hurriedly. "It's none of my business of course. I just-"

"No," Henry interjected, "it's okay. We just… never have time for each other. Between a new town crisis every week and school and everything… it's just hard."

"That's tough mate," Cheshire said reaching over and patting Henry on the shoulder.

"Hook," Henry breathed then corrected himself, "Killian, thinks that a bit of space is good for a relationship."

This time it was Belle's turn to jump into the conversation without thinking. "You're taking dating advice from Killian? Henry, we need to have a serious conversation."

To Cheshire's surprise Henry smiled at that. "I know the difference between good advice and grey areas."

"Good," Belle replied simply.

"So, Hook is your wingman then?" Cheshire asked, digging further into his companion's life.

Henry shrugged. "More like he's my older brother trying his best to get me a girl."

"Sounds like a lovely relationship," Cheshire quipped.

Worry sifted through Belle's expression allowing Ches to read her like the book's she clung to. He knew what direction the bookworm was going to take the conversation before she ever opened her mouth. "How are things going with Killian in that department?"

Henry busied his hands by idly spinning his take-out box on the table. A truncated silence filled the room as the teen tried to find the right words. "Things are… okay, I guess. He's not trying to take my dad's spot…but he's trying too hard to be my friend."

"At least he's trying," Belle offered gently. Oddly enough the bookworm's eyes had misted over.

Seeing an opportunity too perfect to pass up, Cheshire decided to crack open the door to his past. "You're lucky Henry," Ches began in a somber tone. "To have someone trying to watch out for you. Even if he's doing a crap job sometimes."

"I know," said Henry as he fixed his gaze on the table. "Plus, with my mom's, I have it good. I just don't want him to try taking over as my dad. Because he's not. He never will be…"

Belle swiped quickly at her cheeks dispelling those tears that had not been able to mind themselves. Her voice was thick with emotion when she spoke. "Killian's done a lot of questionable things in his life, but he truly cared about your father, Henry. I don't think he'd ever try and take Bae's place."

Hearing the name of the boy whose memory he'd competed with filled Cheshire with a fierce anger he hadn't known for many years. But the former cat was far too well practiced to allow such feelings to show through.

Luckily Henry spoke up again. "I know he won't. He's one of the only people I can even talk to about my dad anyway. My mom talks about him sometimes, but she only knew him when he was older. No one else really knew him other than grandpa. And I can't really talk with him," Henry shot a nervous look at Belle as he realized the sensitive nature of his words.

For Cheshire it was as if Christmas had come early. Keeping his countenance serious, Cheshire watched the emotional interaction avidly.

Belle stared intently at Henry for several beats before she seemingly found the right words. "If anyone could talk to him about Bae, it would be you. Not that I would recommend it, but Rumple would tell you anything you asked." For half a second, Cheshire worried that the charm he'd given Belle wasn't working properly. Her voice and expression carried too much hope and love, but then a bitterness filled her voice as she added, "At least in that department he'd be honest."

Worries evaded for the moment, Cheshire decided to get the topic out of dangerous waters. "If either of you ever tell him I said this, I'll both deny it and seek immediate retribution," Ches paused to allow his words to sink in. "But… deep, deep down, Killian is good guy. He's forgotten that a few times and he's a complete asshole. But he's a good guy."

Belle and Henry both nodded in return. "Well," Belle said pulling everyone from their thoughts, "I don't think those books are going to count themselves."

As the three got back to work, Cheshire saw an odd expression cross Belle's face as she checked her phone. A few strokes of the keyboard later and the librarian returned to her task. Yet the former cat couldn't shake the idea that something important was afoot.

* * *

"Alright he's gone," Jasmine whispered from her spot at the end of the alley.

They'd sat in the alley watching for the moment when Blue's plan would be put into action. The fairy had promised them fifteen minutes at most and absolutely no more. Following Aladdin into the shop, Jasmine took her place near the windows as lookout. Cocky bastard that the thief was, he shot her a wink as he began methodically searching the shop. Rolling her eyes, Jasmine played her part and watched the doors to library carefully.

After ten of the allotted fifteen minutes had passed without turning up anything, the librarian herself entered the building. Figuring that they had just gained an extra five minutes, Jasmine was surprised to see the Dark One stalking away from the library a few moments later.

Her blood ran cold as she ran to the back of the shop and grabbed Aladdin by the arm. "It's time to go," she whispered urgently.

"But I haven't found anything," he answered. Shock at his own failure colored every ounce of his body language.

"Doesn't matter," Jasmine said with a shake of her head. "We're out of time."

The two thieves stole away from the shop as quickly as they could empty handed. It seemed as though the Dark One was just as clueless to the whereabouts of Jafar as they were.

* * *

The message he'd received from Belle had been both surprising and terrifying at the same time. She'd asked him to stop by for just a few minutes. Naturally he'd been unable to reject such a request. Most likely Belle would spend the time berating him once more, but he couldn't quite suppress the hope that she wanted to actually talk with him. To talk and listen.

"Well if it isn't the man of the hour," an all too familiar voice called as he passed through the library's doors. Cheshire materialized in front of him, lazily perched on the circulation desk, as if he sat there every day in such a manner.

Rumpelstiltskin's blood froze as he stared into the face of the young man he'd once considered almost family. Yet another young man he'd failed and hurt unforgivably.

"Cheshire," Rumpelstiltskin replied without a trace of the emotions he harbored.

"Surprised to see me," the boy asked wearing that ridiculously famous grin of his. "Didn't expect me to show back up?"

Rumpelstiltskin pulled on the darkness that shrouded his every step. "More like hoped you wouldn't," he said taking on the impish affect he'd utilized for so many years.

The boy batted a hand to his chest as he slid gracefully off the desk. "You wound me with your harsh words. There's no need to be petty."

"What are you doing here in Cheshire?" He asked cutting to the quick.

Cheshire took on the look of innocence and ignorance he'd obviously perfected over the years. "Working in the library. Mingling with the other story book characters. Finding my way towards a second chance."

"Let's try the truth this time," the Dark One snorted. "What are you doing here?"

"You look different in this world, Dark One." Cheshire observed. The boy's head quirked to the side looking every inch the cat he'd been for two centuries. "No scales, no claws, you look decidedly human. Must make it easier for to lure in your prey."

"Stop diverting the conversation Ches and answer the question."

Real anger flashed through the boy's face showcasing the darkness that hid within. "You don't get to call me that anymore." An undeniable power strained the air between them crackling at his skin and shaking the room. Just as quickly as built the darkness was suppressed and the moment passed.

Despite himself, Rumple was impressed with the boy's strength and control. Unhampered by the tantrum, the Dark One asked his question once more. Slowly and deliberately this time. "What. Are you. Doing here?"

"I think you know."

"You want your revenge how very unoriginal. If that's what you here for, I'm afraid you'll have to get in line."

"I'm not here for something as petty as revenge," Cheshire said throwing his head back with a cold laugh. "Though I do intend on making you suffer. No, I'm here to set you free Rumple. I can put an end to that darkness you carry around with you."

"That comes at a hefty price. One I'm certain you won't want to pay."

"Oh, I don't need your little knife. I don't want to take on your powers. I want to erase them."

An unfamiliar fanaticism filled the boy he'd once known so well. Those ideas and words weren't his, they'd been taught to him over the course of years spent in torment. Years Ches had experienced because of Rumpelstiltskin's foolishness. Though he maintained the level of severity in his tone, he couldn't quite manage to keep it from softening in the face of his failure. "Those clerics of yours tried something similar once. It didn't end well for them."

Cheshire brushed his threat aside. "The clerics are an unimaginative bunch. They don't know how to persuade a person to see reason. You see the problem is that most people don't believe the big bad Dark One can care about someone. But you and I both know differently."

"How touching that you believe me to be capable of such feelings."

"I've known you for too long, Rumple. You might not be able to actually love something, gods know nothing can love you, but you do have a few things you care about."

"Like you?" Rumpelstiltskin sneered as the boy hit a nerve.

Cheshire scoffed. "No certainly not me. You proved that when your cursed me Dark One. But there are others…"

The boy stopped directly in front of him now. Sizing up his opponent. Belatedly Rumpelstiltskin noted that the boy he'd known had grown several inches and now stood slightly taller than him. The teenager he should have known, had grown up. But none of that mattered when the boy was threatening all that Rumple had left. "Leave my family alone."

"I don't care about your pretty wife or your little spawn. Though I did hope to meet Baelfire." Rumpelstiltskin tensed at the mention of Bae. For anyone else the barest hint of movement would have been invisible, but Ches saw straight through that. "Touchy subject then? Did you run him off?" When the older man refused to acknowledge Ches's smile grew even wider.

"A riddle then? I do so love those," the boy began circling him, a predator taking stock of his prey. "He see you for what you really are? A washed up old monster, too afraid of risking his fragile self-esteem to actually love someone. Or did he refuse to talk with you? I know I would have." An evil glint appeared in Ches's eyes as a new thought took the forefront of his mind. "Or is it that he's not around because you hurt him? Is he stuck in the ground somewhere? Food for the worms and-"

"Enough," the Dark One hissed spinning to face his former apprentice.

Smugness cloaked the boy as he locked eyes with his former master. Rumpelstiltskin knew he shouldn't have reacted, but it was all becoming too much.

It was Ches who broke the silence. "So, he's dead then?"

"Let's not pretend you didn't know that already."

"Course I did. Did you ever know me to not do my homework? You killed him." The last was a statement, an accusation that hit far too close to the truth.

"I think you're confusing me for the psychopathic witch."

"Let's not pretend Rumple. You killed him the moment you let him go. But it's more than that isn't it? The 'psychopathic witch,' as you put it, wouldn't have even noticed Bae if he hadn't been so important to you. He's dead and it's your fault." Cheshire paused for several long moments allowing his words to sink in. "How does that feel? Must not be too guilty since you've a new one on the way. Who needs the old reminder of your worst moment when you can start all over again?"

Even if his last comment was completely false, Ches's words dug into the Dark One deeper and more acutely than any knife could. Each accusation he knew to be true struck hard. Chipping away at the light. But he couldn't react, couldn't allow this young man to know just how right he was. Baelfire died because his father was too much of a coward to hold on to him when he could. He'd died because his father was a monster. Rumpelstiltskin knew it was his fault. He'd carried that heavy burden for some time now. But hearing it spoken by another made it all the more real.

Cheshire, however, wasn't done.

"It's not just your son though is it? Hyde told me you were married. That he hoped to use the woman against you. He was never going to succeed of course, but his information was invaluable. The Dark One with someone else he cared about. Who would have thought?" Ches shot him an infuriating wink. "My plan was to come here and pull Bae and this woman away from you. Expose you for the monster you are, but it seems like you've done a marvelous job of that yourself. She can't stand you, can she? Not surprising given who you are. Still though, you really tried to start a family didn't you. I'm impressed, really."

Rumpelstiltskin leaned in close to the demonic boy, ready to show him how dangerous it was to provoke the Dark One when Ches's entire affect changed in a heartbeat. "I, I, I'm s-sorry Mr. Gold," This was the stammering terrified boy he remembered. The one who couldn't make eye contact and who flinched at loud noises. It shocked Rumpelstiltskin into silence for a moment too long. "I didn't... I didn't mean any offense... just..."

"What's going on here?" An oh so familiar voice called from the door behind him.

Rumpelstiltskin felt his stomach drop to his knees. Now it all made sense. "Belle," he breathed as he turned to face her.

Angry didn't begin to describe his wife in that moment. Her jaw was clenched and her hands in fists at her sides. Fury rolled from the tiny woman in waves, assaulting him from where she stood. Belle would believe Cheshire. And why shouldn't she? He'd given her no reason to trust him.

The pawnbroker got no further than, "Let me explain-"

"No, I don't want any explanations or excuses Rumpelstiltskin. I want you to leave."

"I just came to apologize,-"

She cut him off once again, "and decided to terrorize my new employee instead."

"I wasn't-"

"Turning him into a cat wasn't enough?"

"Belle-"

"No, get out."

She stood aside and fixed him with a look she usually reserved for those she detested. He was less than nothing to her right then and nothing he could say would sway her.

Slowly the Dark One made his way to the door. Stopping with his hand on the handle he turned back. "I'm sorry," he whispered. From behind Belle's back he saw the twinkling smirk Ches shot his way.

Belle was oblivious. "Go," she ordered.

So, he went.

* * *

Since her return to Storybrooke, Ruby had yet to regret the decision to find her wolf pack and bring them here. The modern world accepted werewolves far more readily than the villages of the Enchanted Forest. After her own dealings with George and the mob, Ruby found that the denizens of Storybrooke were far more inclined to accept her than harass her.

Her brothers and sisters had found similar experiences. For whatever reason, it was now fashionable to hang around with the werewolf pack. Despite all the extra attention, Ruby couldn't find it in herself to regret that decision.

Another perk of being a so called "dark creature" was that others similar to their kind had flocked to them. Such as the young woman currently sitting across from Ruby at Granny's.

"You've seen them too then," Lily asked once again.

Glancing around nervously to make certain no one was listening in to their conversation, Ruby whispered back. "Yes, I have. The other wolves noticed them earlier in the week."

"Are they following you as well?"

Ruby simply nodded.

Though mostly pleasant in its inception, the move to Storybrooke had apparently garnered them a bit of extra attention. Men in dark clothing had been seen following various members of the pack a number of different times. Nothing terrible had happened as of yet and there was very little proof that they were being followed, but it was enough to raise Ruby's hackles.

Lily's confirmation that she had been experiencing similar treatment, confirmed the worst for Ruby. It was time to talk to Emma.

Before she could come up with any concrete plans, their booth was invaded by one of her favorite thieves and his apparent love interest.

"Al," she extoled as he slid into the seat beside her.

"Hey there Ruby," Al greeted.

She could tell that there was something wrong almost immediately. Their stony expressions and furtive glances told her everything she needed to know. That and they both reeked of fear. "What's up Al?"

"Ruby," Al stammered, "I think something bad might be about to happen."

The werewolf's blood ran cold at his words. Had he seen them to?

Luckily Lily broke in giving Ruby time to collect herself. "What the hell are you talking about? And who are you anyway?"

"Aladdin and Jasmine of Agrabah," the tenacious princess supplied without hesitation.

Ruby found she rather liked this one. She, at least, seemed able to keep up with Al.

Al picked up where his princess left off. "Do you know anything about genies Ruby?"

"Not much," Ruby admitted. "But I know someone who will."

Jasmine and Aladdin shared an unreadable look before Jasmine took the helm once more. "Then we need to talk with that person soon."

"Is now good?" Ruby asked. Looking relieved the other two nodded. "Let me tell Granny I'm heading out and then we'll go."

Leading the way to the library, Ruby felt the air twitching around her. Jasmine and Aladdin were right, something big was about to happen.

 _A/N: Thank you so much for reading! Let me know what you guys think in the reviews/comments and as always, I'll see you guys in the next chapter!_


	7. Ravens

_A/N: It's alive! I got a passion to start writing this story again and man oh man did I get going with it. The plot is almost complete and the character arcs are figured out. All we need is for me to get myself in gear and start editing and fixing the finer details… which is really the challenging bit. Sooo, here we have a bit of plot development and several character conversations._

The first thing Ruby saw as she led the way through the library doors was her favorite new resident sweeping the floors. "Hey kid," she called as the boy looked up.

The kid had obviously adapted well to the new world. Having apparently traded in the old world clothes for those from the 21st century, the kid fit the bill of a teenager on the cusp of adult hood. Sporting dark fitted jeans and a purple t-shirt the kid looked as if he belonged in Storybrooke. Though Ruby couldn't help but notice that he'd opted to keep his grungy black cloak.

Cheshire flashed her an ear splitting grin. "Hey Ms. Ruby," he responded joyfully, dropping the broom and walking over to her, Jasmine, Aladdin, and Lily.

"Doin alright kid?" she asked playfully ruffling his hair in the manner she knew he detested. "She's not working your fingers to the bone, is she?"

"You do know I'm not actually a kid, right?" He reminded her once again.

"Just like you know that I'm not a missus," she winked and leaned over the counter towards him. "And you still look like a kid to me. So until you share your secret to eternal youth, I'll continue calling you kid.

"Fair enough _Ms._ Ruby," he chuckled in kind. "Besides, if I told you I'd have to kill you – secrets being confidential and all that – and I enjoy your company far too much for such an action. So, I guess will both have to get used to it.

Gods she loved the cheek on this kid. She'd taken to him just as quickly as Belle and Henry, and it seemed as if the entire town shared their love of the former cat. Cheshire had an air about him that made you want to know him better. Apparently spending two hundred odd years as a cat did wonders for a person's sense of humor and adventure.

At a nudge from Aladdin, Ruby made her way back to the point of their visit. "Is Belle in?"

"She is. Would you like me to go fetch her for you?"

"I know it's not usually a cat thing," Ruby quipped, unable to stop herself or her laughter, "but yeah could you fetch her please?"

Ches rolled his eyes good naturedly but made for the back of the library. "Hey boss lady," he called loudly, "there's a gaggle of heroes out her needing advice, or research, or something."

Belle's head suddenly appeared from behind a large stack of books. "I've told you to stop calling me that," Ruby heard her say in an exasperated voice.

"You keep saying it, but you don't really mean it," Ches chuckled as he led her to the front desk.

Ruby made not of the budding relationship between those two. Belle's easy nature and love for hopeless cases apparently mixed well with the homeless and cheeky teenager who wasn't a teenager. Ruby couldn't begrudge either the blooming friendship. Ches obviously needed an adult he could turn to and Belle had more room in her heart than anyone Ruby knew.

"Ruby," Belle exclaimed as she saw the waitress. "I hope that the help has been helpful as opposed to his normal self?"

"I hate to be the one to say this Belle, but this place is really going to the dogs," Ruby said, flashing a wolfish smile at the teen.

"Oh har, har," he replied. "You're hilarious Ms. Ruby, I trust you know that."

"It never hurts to hear it. Now run along and let the adults talk kid."

"Oh you're part of the adults now? That's an interesting decision," Ches fired right back.

Belle's long suffering sigh broke the two from their game. "If you two are done, I'm assuming there's a reason you lot came over."

"I'll leave you lot to it," Cheshire said, bowing out before being asked to leave. But that didn't stop him from shooting a cheeky wink at Ruby before returning to his prior task and disappearing behind the shelves.

Alone again and deprived of the distraction that was Cheshire, Ruby felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. Al had been right earlier, something big was coming.

"I'm sorry I don't believe I've met all of you," Belle said politely turning to the strangers standing behind Ruby.

"Right," Ruby hurried to explain. "You know Al of course," the man in question waved awkwardly at the mention of his name. "And this is Maleficent's daughter Lily," she said pointing out the dour woman who merely glared at Belle, "the one I've been having drinks with here lately. And this is the newest recruit, Jasmine of Agrabah. An old friend of Al's."

The young princess strode forward and extended her hand to the librarian. "It's wonderful to meet you Belle. I've heard a good deal about your research skills."

"Lovely to met you as well," the beauty replied. "So, what is it you need my research skills for?"

Ruby felt her smile falter. "Something's coming Belle. I can feel it."

"Something's always coming Ruby," Belle answered moving to prop herself against the counter. "It's Storybrooke, we're always in some pinch or another."

"It's different this time Belle," the werewolf insisted. "This is going to sound crazy, but you have to hear me out okay." Taking in the flash of curiosity which passed through Belle's eyes, Ruby hesitated for only a moment before launching into an explanation.

"A few days ago, I started noticing strangers around town. I know what you're going to say," Ruby held up her hands to stop Belle from giving voice to an obvious answer, "but let me explain. They aren't from the Land of Untold Stories. Or if they are the haven't been interacting with the others who came over. These guys – and it's just guys – are wearing Storybrooke clothes too well and it wasn't obvious at first. But they've been following me and the wolf pack."

"It's not just her," Lily spoke up for the first time. "They've been following my mother and I as well. Like Ruby said, we didn't notice them at first, but now it's obvious they've been following us for a while." Lily crossed her arms and leaned against the wall obviously uncomfortable. "They haven't done anything yet, just watch us."

Worry lines creased Belle's brow. "Are you sure-"

"Yes," said Ruby. "Very sure. We've been running tests with the pack. Seeing if they would show up anywhere and if it was just a few of us they were following. But it's the whole pack. That's why I had a conversation with Lily."

"What do they look like," Belle asked.

"They differ," Lily offered. "But all are wearing black clothing of some form or another. And it's not just my mother and me. Mom saw them tailing Regina and Zelena the other day as well. I'm surprised you haven't seen them."

"Me?" Belle repeated.

"Given the nature of everyone they've been following, I'd wager your husband is on their short list," Lily divulged. "Not to mention his unborn child."

Fear lanced through Ruby at the thought of something happen to Belle's child. A feeling that clearly matched Belle's. "But if you haven't noticed them, then they might not care about the baby," Ruby offered.

"Or they don't know about it," Lily pointed out unhelpfully.

Silence permeated the room, broken only by the sounds of Ches rummaging through the book shelves. Ruby wanted to reassure her friend but found that the words died on her lips. She couldn't reassure Belle, because she simply didn't know the truth.

"I hate to be the one to pile on here, but there's more," Al interjected. Sharing a quick reassuring glance with Jasmine, he took the plunge. "When Jasmine and I met in Agrabah there was this sorcerer, Jafar. Caused us a right bit of trouble and is the reason I got brought over with the first curse in the first place. Anyway he ended up in Wonderland and caused a bit of trouble for the White King and Queen over there. Way Will Scarlet and Alice tell it, he damn near ended Wonderland-"

"You know Will Scarlet?" Belle interrupted. Though she tried to conceal it, Ruby couldn't help but notice her delight at hearing about her one time flame.

"Aye," Aladdin affirmed. "I made a trip there while you lot where in Camelot."

"How?" Ruby asked, truly curious after the trouble she and her pack went through just to get here.

"I made friends with a portal jumping rabbit some time ago. Met him while he was visiting the hatter and listened to his tale about an evil sorcerer. When I found out it was Jafar, I had to make sure the man would never see light of day again. So I sweet talked the rabbit and made my way to Wonderland."

"How was Will?" Belle asked.

"Seemed fine to me," the thief shrugged. "He and his wife are running things there now. Seemed to be doin well by the people there."

Ruby didn't miss the content smile on Belle's face, nor the slightest disappointment that her friend couldn't hide quickly enough.

"This is a lovely little recollection," Lily began, "but what does this have to do with anything?"

"Right," Aladdin smiled sheepishly, "point is, Jafar got himself turned into a genie and stuck in a lamp. I went to retrieve said lamp in order to make sure said genie never sees the light of day again. I put the lamp under lock and key and hid it away. No one should have been able to get to it." Here Aladdin paused. Jasmine put a comforting hand his forearm, for which the man seemed greatly appreciative. "Until a few days ago when the new people came over. The lamp was stolen from me."

"You think the events are related?" Belle asked quickly understanding his meaning.

"I do."

"This doesn't make sense," Lily reasoned in a tone suggesting they'd worn through her patience. "Someone took the lamp, I get that that's a bad thing, but it doesn't mean the events are related."

Belle jumped to answer. "A genie like Jafar would qualify as the type of people these men have been following. And a genie's magic is tied to the person who holds their lamp. With Aladdin holding it, Jafar's magic is tied to him and him alone. If someone wanted to stop Aladdin from using the wishes, then they could take the lamp. Jafar can't answer to anyone else while Aladdin holds his wishes. Effectively he's out of the equation."

"How do you know it wasn't one of the other magic users who took it?" Lily posed.

"We searched Regina's tomb and the pawn shop ourselves," Jasmine confessed with a guilty shrug at Belle. "Sorry about that," the woman said to Belle who waved off the apology. "But we've searched everywhere. If one of them have it, then it's well concealed."

"It wouldn't make since for the Mayor or Mal to take it either," Aladdin conferred. "I thought the Dark One might have taken for his own purposes, but he's clean as well. The witch is occupied with her baby and the Evil Queen would have approached me by now. It's the only thing that fits."

"So," Ruby articulated, summing up their numerous problems, "we have the Men in Black tailing us and stealing artifacts connected to dark beings. Not to mention all the newcomers causing issues, the Evil Queen, and whatever else pops up to keep us on our toes. I think this qualifies as something bad."

Unable to disagree with her logic the others in the group nodded in silent agreement.

"Do you think this may be because of Jafar?" Belle speculated, hoping it could be that simple.

"Maybe," Aladdin ventured.

Each of them clung to the hope that it could all boil down to something as simple as that, but years of living in a town constantly assaulted by the villain of the week club had jaded such optimism.

Surprisingly Jasmine broke the silence, with something close to a plan. "I think we need to see if the White King and Queen had any such troubles. If they did, then they can either explain it to us or help us gain an understanding of what we're dealing with."

"Good idea princess," Aladdin smiled.

"I know just the man to talk to," said Belle as she reached behind her to grab her bag. "I'll be back in a few Ches," she called to the boy still sweeping among the stacks.

"Have fun," came the muffled response.

Now sporting a new member the group headed into Storybrooke once again, intent on stopping this threat before it could become one.

* * *

The Evil Queen struck Storybrooke in the most vulnerable place possible. By removing the Charmings from the picture, she'd dealt a decisive blow to the hearts and minds of the citizens of the coastal town. David and Snow were the hopeful leaders they needed and without them… things seemed far more insurmountable.

With the town looking to her for leadership, Regina found herself adrift in futility. As a former Queen, she'd had no issue guiding the people in whatever direction she deemed appropriate. However as the mayor actually invested in the good of the town, Regina worried that she didn't have enough light within her to overcome her doppelganger.

So, as she usually did when she found herself in too deep, Regina turned to the only person who might be able to help her.

Stalking into the pawn shop like she owned it, Regina did her level best to project a confidence she most certainly did not feel. As expected, Rumpelstiltskin stood at the back counter of his shop tinkering with some object or another.

"Good you're not busy," she observed as she walked back to him.

"Nice to see you as well, Regina," Rumple replied without looking up.

"I have an issue."

"Most people do when they come to see me."

Something about the way his voice tilted towards resignation at that admission tickled the back of Regina's mind. But she shook away the odd feeling, she had more important fish to fry at the moment. "It's the Evil Queen- "

"Ah yes," Rumpelstiltskin replied halting her explanation. "Your doppelganger has been causing quite the stir hasn't she."

"She's a bloody menace," Regina snarled.

That finally earned her his full attention. Dropping his tools, Rumple met her steely gaze steadily. "Yes, you are."

"I'm not her!" The crooked smirk and raised eyebrows he turned on made Regina wish she hadn't given up her darker days. She'd love nothing more than to wipe that sneer off his face. "I'm not!" she protested again.

"You are, dearie. It's just time you dealt with that." Putting his work away, Rumpelstiltskin leaned on the glass counter between them focusing his penetrating gaze on Regina and making her squirm. "To answer the question you assuredly came here to ask, no, I won't go back on my deal with your other half."

Red flashed across the mayor's vision. "Not even after she went behind your back with Hyde?"

"She hasn't touched Belle or my child," he reasoned. "Despite her unsavory alliance, she hasn't broken our deal."

"That's bullshit Rumple and you know it."

On the contrary, I'm keeping my word and she's keeping hers. So sorry but your request is denied."

"Why won't you help me?"

And there it was, the jealousy he'd know would rear its head at his decision to leave her to her own devices. She and her sister were more alike than they knew. Sighing deeply he tried once more to make her understand. "You don't need my help in this Regina."

"She's threatening the whole town!"

"Just as you threatened and razed towns and villages before."

Regina looked as if he'd slapped her. "I'm not that person anymore."

"That may well be true," Rumpelstiltskin replied leaning forward over the counter ever so slightly to drive his point home. "But you were once. You can't just cut away a part of who you are."

"I'm not the evil queen."

"Yet her actions remain a part of your past. Look Regina, you're not some two-dimensional storybook character who's only options are black and white. And until you stop acting like you are, you'll continue finding yourself in these situations.

"You can no more cleave yourself from the darkness than I can. By all means change for the better, become the person Henry wants you to be. But stop pretending like you and the Evil Queen are somehow separate. Her darkness is your darkness and you can't escape your past. Trust me, I know that well enough."

"Being a better person wasn't enough!" Argued Regina. "I still got the short end of the stick, even when I did everything right."

"The universe isn't going to reward you for doing the right thing. That's the Charming's way of thinking and you know better than that. You do the best you can to protect those you love with the hand dealt to you. Things aren't as black and white as they are in stories. And we certainly aren't in a fairytale, no matter what this world may believe. The Evil Queen is a part of you Regina, not just darkness."

"She's the dark parts of me."

"Oh but so much more than that, dearie. She is you."

"I'm more than just the darkness."

"True enough, but that darkness was a part of you. She's made up your characteristics. Your confidence and determination. Your drive to get what you want regardless of consequences and hardships. Your fire and cunning. She's a part of you and you can't keep denying that."

He had to make her understand this. If Regina couldn't accept that she and the Evil Queen were one, then hope for this little experiment would quickly evaporate.

"I still have all of those traits," she protested angrily.

Rumple sighed heavily and tried explaining it once again. "So, does she. Only with the Evil Queen it's tainted by darkness. It's what makes her dangerous to you. Ambition, drive, cunning, confidence all admirable traits until they're unchecked by something lighter. Fueled only by loss, rage, and hatred… well you knew your mother quite well."

"All of this is fascinating, but how do I defeat with her?"

Finally she'd reached part of the point.

"You realize you're asking me how to defeat yourself?"

The eye roll he received for that little comment was rather impressive.

"To the point, imp," Regina prodded.

"You can't. She. Is. You. Accept that. That's how you defeat her." He explained it slowly as he would to a particularly slow child. Which, in essence, is what he dealt with at the moment.

A heavy silence settled between them as Regina allowed his words to sink in. "Accept the darker side of me? Like you've done?"

"Yes."

"Worked out well for you has it?"

Ignoring the sting of that accusation, Rumpelstiltskin continued pushing her. "You can't deny that part of you Regina. The darkness is there because you allowed it in. You chose it-"

"And who pushed me to do that?"

Rumple rolled his eyes this time. "I may have manipulated you, but those were your decisions not mine. You gave into the darkness all by yourself. Now be a big girl and go deal with it."

"I've been dealing with it! But no matter what I do, it's never good enough to make up for all I've done."

"Now you're getting it."

"You're saying I deserved all that's happened?"

"I'm saying you have to face the consequences of your actions and of who you were."

"Consequences like watching another True Love die because of me?" The Queens face spoke of despair and anguish that the Dark One knew well. Decades ago he would have been thrilled to see Regina so worked up, but now? Now it was just sad. "Do you have any idea what that's like? Robin lost his chance at happiness because of me. Because I don't deserve a happy ending. Robin didn't deserve to die because he fell in love with a villain."

Silence fell between them thick and heavy. "And Baelfire didn't deserve to die because his father was monster."

Shock patterned its way across Regina as she took in a little gasp. "I'm sorry, that-"

Rumpelstiltskin cut her off before she could apologize. "I'm not saying that good people deserve to be hurt because of their association with us. I am saying that the person you used to be, is still a part of you. The Evil Queen was a menace and a terror. But Regina, she's something else entirely. And it's because of your past that who you are today is so impressive. Our failings and shortcomings are what make us who we are. What make us human. To try and discard those, chips away at all you've accomplished. Makes it hollow."

"I just want to stop being punished for it all," Regina admitted in a small voice.

Calming himself and making his tone as gentle as possible, Rumpelstiltskin answered slowly. "You're going to have to deal with consequences of who you were for the rest of your life. There's no running from that dearie. But what happened to Robin, what… what happened to Baelfire, that wasn't karma catching up to us. It wasn't some author writing out our fates. That was Zelena and Hades choosing their own twisted paths. There's blame enough to go around and there were things we could have done differently, but at the end of the day, it wasn't karma or some power or force. It was others like us."

"How do you live with it?"

"I don't know," he admitted. If he wanted her to be honest with herself, he had to show her honesty of his own first. "Sometimes I think it might be better if I didn't have to. But in the end, Robin and Bae they died for us. Died believing in something better. If you want to defeat the Evil Queen before she hurts someone else, then accept that Regina. Only then can you become who you're truly meant to be."

"I don't see how that helps me."

"I'm certain you'll see it when the opportunity presents itself."

"Do you say anything that's not cryptic?"

Rumpelstiltskin merely chuckled in response, causing a small smile to quirk the queen's face as well.

Looking at her mentor properly for the first time in weeks pulled the smile from her face just as quickly. Dark circles drew shadows around his eyes hiding any warmth she might have detected within them. The skin on his face was stretched taut throwing his hollowed cheeks into sharp relief. In short, the man looked like hell. Something she hadn't noticed in all her haste to destroy her darker half.

"How are you doing Rumple?" Regina asked in a rare display of sympathy for her oldest friend.

The well crafted self-control he was known for slid into place between one breath and another, concealing any emotions he might be experiencing. "I'm just fine dearie," Rumpelstiltskin responded his gaze never leaving hers.

Barely stopping herself from rolling her eyes, Regina decided to spare the infuriating man her concerns. "I'm sure you are. Watch yourself Rumple," she added unable to hide her concern. "The town is stirred up over everything that's been happening and…"

Luckily for her, Rumpelstiltskin picked up where she left off. "And the town monster is always the first to be mobbed by the rabble."

With a soft smile that she hoped expressed her true feelings, Regina furthered her advice. "And I'm afraid that's no longer me. Just… be careful."

"I didn't know you cared."

"I don't," the mayor insisted before turning away and walking out of the Pawn Shop, confident that she could take on her darker side and win.

* * *

"So I know someone who claims to know you," Belle informed Jefferson as she and the rest of her crew crowded their table at the Rabbit Hole.

"What a fortunate individual," the hatter smirked causing Victor to roll his eyes and throw a fry at his friend.

"You give confidence a bad name Jeff," said Victor.

"Back to me," Belle interjected, knowing she would never get them back on track if she didn't. "He's from Wonderland."

Jefferson's smile never wavered, but an odd tightness settled across his face and Victor visibly tensed. "Does this person have a name?"

"Cheshire," Belle replied.

This time there was no mistaking the dark look that crossed Jefferson's features. "Cheshire is here in Storybrooke?"

Belle nodded. "He came through with the others from the Land of Untold Stories. Though apparently he looks very different now than he did while in Wonderland."

"I would imagine so," Jefferson replied in an offhand fashion. "And how do you know Cheshire?"

"He's working in the library for me. Actually, he's well on his way to a full time position there. He's quite useful-"

Jefferson cut her off midsentence. "You need to be very careful around him Belle," the Hatter warned.

Taken aback by his obvious sincerity, Belle wondered at the past between those two. "Why is that?"

The Hatter hesitated, sharing a long look with Victor, before turning his attention back to Belle. "He's unstable at the best of times."

"Most people in Storybrooke are," Ruby pointed out. "And you're one to talk."

Smirking at the leggy waitress, Jefferson consented to her point. "True. However, I'm pleasantly off balance. Cheshire… Cheshire is a different story. From what I understand, he had a rough time of it before Wonderland and he has a vendetta against the Dark One rivaled only by Hook's." Jefferson turned serious bright eyes back to Belle. "He will go after Rumple. That's not even a question and he is the sort to use whatever means necessary to accomplish his goal. You need to be very, very careful Belle."

"I can handle myself," Belle assured him. Cheshire wouldn't be any worse than the villains she'd faced before and she owed this boy for everything Rumpelstiltskin had done to him.

"I'm sure you can, but Cheshire has spent many years alone allowing his hatred to fester. He's unstable Belle. Be cautious."

Noting his warning but not taking it to heart, Belle nodded before turning her attention back to the real reason for their visit. "Thanks for the warning Jeff. But that's not really why we're here."

Aladdin chose that moment to insert himself into the conversation. "We have an issue. A serious one at that. And Belle here thinks you can help."

"It never ends in this town," Victor scoffed.

"No it doesn't," Belle agreed. "But I think you may be the only person who can help us get a little information.

"I'm all ears," said Jefferson with a smile.

"We need a portal to Wonderland," Ruby blurted out.

Seeing Jefferson's obvious hesitation, Belle explained further. "There is someone there who can answer a few questions for us."

"Why not search the trusty library?" Jefferson asked, suspicion clouding his voice.

"We tried," Jasmine added. "But what we need is to communicate with someone who has faced this issue before."

Victor's curiosity peaked. "Who are you looking for?"

Belle took a deep breath before holding Jefferson's gaze as steadily as she could. "Will Scarlet."

Jefferson swore. "Belle if this is some kind of-"

"It's not anything like that," Belle protested, cutting him off mid-rant.

"Oh no," Jefferson scoffed. "You just want me to help you get in contact with the man you had a fling with after banishing Rumpelstiltskin." Jasmine, Aladdin, and Lily all shot confused looks at Belle. "I see you haven't explained that history to your friends here. Look Belle, I'm sorry but I can't do that to Rumple."

"Why because you owe him something or are you just afraid?" an aggravated Belle fired back.

Shaking his head and lowering his tone into something kinder Jefferson continued. "Yes and no. I do owe him a lot, that much is true. But not the way you're thinking. He might not admit it, but he's a friend."

"I thought we were friends too."

"We are," he protested. "But Rumple helped me get to where I am today. He helped me through a lot of rough spots and I'm not about to betray him like this."

"It's not a betrayal," Belle argued.

"That's exactly what it is. If it's what you want and makes you happy then I'm happy for you. But I can't help you chase after someone else. It goes against every bro code in the book." The last was said with that familiar twinkle of a smile that she knew so well.

Thankfully, Ruby took charge. "Bro code aside, this has nothing to do with Belle's love life. Will Scarlet has information that we need about a certain genie."

Surprise shot across Jefferson's features as he picked up his cup and digested this new information. "What genie?"

"One who's suddenly gone missing," Aladdin supplied.

Jefferson sighed. "I might be able to help you then." At the hopeful looks on their faces, he saw fit to warn them. "However, I'll need help myself. I think I can create a new hat, but I'll need enough magic to power it's creation and that's something I don't have access to."

"Who does?" Ruby asked.

Jefferson's eyes landed on Belle causing her stomach to sink instantly. "Absolutely not," she asserted. "There has to be someone else."

"The Dark One's power would be more than enough to create a new hat. He helped me construct the first one."

"No."

"Then I'm afraid I can't help you, Belle."

"There has to be someone else," Belle protested. "Regina, Emma, or the Blue Fairy."

"Emma lacks the power, though she does have the potential, I've already tested that once. Regina lacks the focus and the Blue Fairy lacks the motivation. Regardless of what you promise, the fairies believe this land should remain portal free. So it's Rumple or no trip."

Looking at the others around her, Belle couldn't help but feel like a failure. But she couldn't do this. If she went to him for help now, it would never end. She couldn't trust Rumpelstiltskin to do this for her with no strings attached.

"Thank you for your time," she said, "but I can't ask him. I can't pay the price it would cost."

Jefferson's sad eyes held hers for a long while. "He wouldn't ask a price from you."

"No, but he'd expect one." Turning her attention to the crowd behind her, Belle tried to explain that this was a dead end for now. "I'm sorry you guys. We will come up with another plan to get there. This one won't work."

Ruby at least seemed to understand completely. Jasmine and Aladdin looked a bit skeptical but apparently even they had heard of the Dark One's nefarious reputation.

"Well find another way," Ruby promised.

As the group made their excuses and left, Belle found herself stopped by Jefferson's hand on hers. "Belle," he began, "remember what I said about Cheshire. Rumpelstiltskin may have hurt you, but please believe me when I say you're far safer with him than with that cat. You're in danger."

With a final nod and thank you, Belle walked from the diner. A cold feeling settled in her stomach as the hatter's warning rang in her ears.

* * *

She felt him enter the room before she saw him. The young apprentice she'd been so fond of many years ago, was officially all grown up.

"Well, well, well," Maleficent sneered as she turned to face the intruder. "I had heard you were in town. Didn't know if I believed it until now."

"Did you miss me Ms. Mal?" Cheshire asked. His trademark grin lighting his face as he prowled towards her slowly.

"Can't say that I did."

"And here I always thought we had a connection."

The old sorceress's mouth fell into a hard line as she looked over the former cat. He'd had so much promise all those years ago. Been such a sweet child. That had been before Rumpelstiltskin had so thoroughly corrupted. Mal knew it had bad idea to allow the imp to keep the child in his care. But she'd never expected it to end this poorly, had even hoped Ches would bring a light into the Dark One's life. Folding her arms and leaning back against the counter of her shop, she fixed Cheshire with a calculating look.

"Sorry to disappoint sweetheart," she crooned keeping her unease locked tight behind a mask of indifference. "But you're too much like your master. Neither of you will ever do the decent thing and leave the rest of us in peace."

Ches's expression grew hungry at her taunt. Danger glinted from his eyes in a manic form that suited him far too well. "I'm not sure if I should be flattered or offended by that."

"Be whichever you like. Just be it somewhere else."

"Ah, but we have business together Mal. Long awaited business that can't be put off any longer."

Darkness twisted what might have been fond words into something foreboding. Had she been a lesser being, Maleficent might have been afraid in that moment. But she'd faced far worse creatures than the mewling kitten before her. "I'd warn you to stay away from me, but you already know better than to mess with me."

"A couple hundred years ago that might have been true," Ches purred with fervor. "I've been enlightened since last we met. I'm here to help you Mal. Here to set you free from the malevolence that mars your soul."

Sincerity danced about the boy's features. The clerics had done their job well. The promising young man she'd known all those years ago was gone. Before her stood a ghost of that boy.

"Yes I heard through the grapevine that you'd taken up with some unsavory characters," she replied masking her disappointment.

Indignation glinted in the boy's eyes. "If you're speaking of the clerics then I fear you might be misled about their intentions."

"Doubtful."

"They opened my eyes Mal," Ches said as he wandered her shop drinking everything in. "Showed me the true difference between the light and the dark. I'd been misled for so many years. Corrupted by such powerful forces. They gave me purpose."

Despite herself, Maleficent felt a small ache enter her chest at Ches's words. The boy was well and truly lost. "Yes, well they have funny ideas about light and dark. Not really as pious as they seem to believe themselves. Or did you forget the torture you saw for yourself?"

Anger splintered Ches's face at her reminder. "The Dark One deserved everything he received from the clerics and more," the former apprentice hissed. "The clerics tried to contain the darkest creature in the realms. What exactly is sinful about that?"

"You know at one time I might have agreed, but you seem to forget that those 'creatures' they capture and torture are human as well."

"There's nothing human about the Dark One, Mal." Ches scoffed waving a hand to dismiss her claims. "You and I both know that."

Daring to take a step towards the boy she'd once been so fond of, Maleficent extended a hand to the boy's shoulder. He tensed at her touch but didn't pull away. "I don't think you really believe that kid."

For the barest of moments, Maleficent locked eyes with the young man she'd known, before his well-constructed walls slammed back into place. "You don't know anything about me Mal," he responded coldly. "This is a friendly warning, get out of town. Soon."

With that final morbid note, Cheshire stalked from the shop leaving Maleficent to wonder if perhaps Rumple's promising apprentice wasn't still in there somewhere.

* * *

Cheshire had never really taken up drinking as a habit in his many years of life. His possible years of indulgence as a young man had been ripped away from him by the Dark One and, as a cat, the need rarely struck him. Tonight however, would be an exception.

His earlier conversation with Maleficent had opened too many old wounds that refused to heal. He'd been reminded of the foolish boy he'd been when he'd fallen for the Dark One's wiles. And how desperately he'd held onto the belief that a man existed behind the monster's façade. But Rumpelstiltskin had shown his true colors in the end.

Shaking off his melancholy, Cheshire poured himself another drink. The real issue he faced tonight was his conversation with Maleficent. She'd been marked along with those like her. Beings of darkness that stalked the light. Regardless of any latent feelings he had for the fallen fairy, he had a job to do. And if Maleficent didn't heed his warning… he'd have to take her in as well.

Downing another shot for luck, Ches slammed the glass on the table and prepared for his next task.

 _A/N: If you've enjoyed this, please notice my "Will Work for Reviews" sign. It's really my biggest motivation to hear back from you guys. So bring on the good, the bad, and the ugly! I'd say that hopefully I will have a new chapter up within the next week or so, but I don't want to get your hopes or my hopes up. It's almost exams week, so life is it's usual crazy with an added bonus of absolute nuts just for fun. So if I get another chapter up within the next two weeks, we can all be pleasantly surprised and excited! Thanks for reading and as always, I'll see you guys in the next chapter!_


	8. I'm Mad

_A/N: Hello party people! I'm happy to be back in business working on this story once again. In this chapter we'll see the smallest of plot movements and a few much needed conversations. Oh and did I mention angst..._

A funny foreboding preceded her entrance to the shop. If asked Rumpelstiltskin couldn't have exactly placed the feeling, but he could tell that it didn't bode well for either him or the fallen fairy. He'd been expecting her ever since Ches had made his reappearance but, she'd certainly taken her time in paying him a visit.

"It seems your little apprentice got his manners and nerve from you, Rumple," Mal snarled as she stormed through the front of his shop.

"It's always nice to see you too Maleficent," Rumpelstiltskin quipped. Walking around the glass counter, he leaned against it and awaited the berating he knew to be coming.

Completely unperturbed by his less than serious attitude, Maleficent fixed all of her ire into a single glare. "What are you going to do about your former apprentice?"

"I've had a fair few misguided apprentices, you'll have to be more specific."

"No, I won't."

Let it never be said that Maleficent wasn't as clever as she was formidable. When the woman decided on something, she couldn't be dissuaded. Unfortunately, this time she'd set herself on forcing him to deal with Cheshire.

"No you won't," the former imp relented. "I don't know what you want me to do though."

Maleficent crossed her arms and leaned toward him. "I want you to fix this mess. He's your bloody apprentice."

"Was," Rumple corrected softly. "He was my apprentice. That boy no longer exists."

"I think you might be surprised if you'd talk with him."

"I've already had a run in with the boy and he made his position against me fairly clear. I'll not be dissuading him from his path alone. That much is certain."

Despite his best attempts to keep his voice level, regret laced each syllable that fell from his mouth. Rumpelstiltskin had failed Cheshire in so many ways. He never should have allowed the boy to stay with him in the first place. He'd been weak and completely unable to push away the teen who looked so like his lost son. Their relationship had been doomed from its inception.

"Then find someone to help you," Maleficent ordered as if it were the simplest thing in the world. "He and those clerics are about to stir up a world of trouble for you and the rest of Storybrooke."

"I wasn't aware that you cared," Rumple quipped, feeling an odd since of deja vu as another angry woman warned him about the dangers of the town.

"I couldn't care less about you Dark One," Maleficent corrected with an icy glare. "The clerics can have you if they so choose, might do everyone some good."

"I'm hurt Maleficent, I'd thought we'd moved past all this."

"You were an alliance of convenience just as I was. Doesn't mean I've forgiven you, or that I ever will. You've spent some three hundred years making others miserable and you can deal with the enemies you've made without my help. Whatever the clerics have in store for you will be well met _old friend_."

Rumpelstiltskin nodded his understanding refusing to let himself feel the bite of her words. "Then why are you here."

"For the rest of this miserable town and for my daughter," Maleficent proclaimed leaning in to make sure her point hit home. "The clerics and that little apprentice of yours are targeting all those they deem to be dark. Cheshire claims he can set me free, so I can imagine what they have in mind. If memory serves, you've had experience with such experiments."

The Dark One's eyes narrowed as the fallen fairy spoke. He could accept her anger with a grain of salt, he'd earned Maleficent's ire, but he refused to be cowed by her. "I have a rather sharp memory dearie so do get to your point and allow your memories to lie in the past else they bring other unpleasant memories of that time to the surface."

Though he'd spoken calmly, he could see the moment his unspoken threat had landed at home for Maleficent.

"There are clerics in Storybrooke-"

"There have always been clerics in Storybrooke."

"Yes, but now there are more. Along with your little apprentice who rumor has it found himself a new master."

Despite himself, Rumpelstiltskin's heart stuttered at her implications. "Frollo's dead."

"So were you." The former fairy's eyes locked with Rumple's as she left a final warning. "Were I you, I'd see if I couldn't get through to my former apprentice. Lest his latest master order him to wreak havoc on all of Storybrooke. Including the spawn of the Dark One." Rumpelstiltskin's stomach dropped at the implication. And try though he might to hide his fear, the knowing smirk on Maleficent's face told him she could see right through him in this matter. "Hop to it Rumple, times a wasting."

With that Maleficent strode from the darkness of the Pawn Shop into the light of the street, leaving a seething and terrified Rumpelstiltskin in her wake.

* * *

After her conversation with Rumpelstiltskin, Regina felt confident that she could take on her darker half and finally win. Loathe though she was to admit it, the imp was right. Her darker impulses and her past would always be a part of her, and she couldn't shirk that, no matter how badly she might want to. If she wanted to defeat the Evil Queen, then she would have to accept the part of herself she liked the least.

Regardless of the person she'd finally become, her past remained mired in darkness and poor decisions. If she ever wanted to move forward in life, she had to accept that. The lesson Rumple had been driving into her head for the past several days finally made sense.

However, now that Regina wanted to face her, the Evil Queen couldn't be found. She'd searched the town and the woods and even asked for Zelena's reluctant assistance. All to no avail.

"Maybe she's just laying low for a while," Charming suggested as he and Regina sat together in Snow's apartment. "Waiting for her next big strike."

"Does that even sound like me Charming?" Regina chided. Leaning her head into her hands the mayor attempted to focus her thoughts. "If I had just successfully cursed you and Snow I would be gloating as loudly as possible. Laying low isn't my style."

Charming placed a comforting hand on her forearm. "But she's not you Regina," he protested.

"But she is. Rumpelstiltskin was right, she's a part of me – the worst parts – but still me."

"You talked with Gold about this?"

"He is the expert on all things magic."

"And on all things dark," Charming pointed out. "Are you sure you can trust what he told you? He did enter into an alliance with her."

"On the promise of leaving his family alone," said Regina with a shrug. "I'd have made the same deal if I thought I could get away with it. And considering all I've done to Belle in the past, I can't really blame him."

Charming remained unconvinced. "Still."

"Point is, he's right. If I want to defeat the Evil Queen, I have to accept that she is a part of who I was and who I am."

"But you're not that person anymore, you've changed," Charming protested.

"It's not that simple," Regina explained. The more she explored the idea the more she believed Rumple's assessment of her predicament. "I'm going to have to face the consequences of who I used to be for the rest of my life. It doesn't mean I'm not better it just means… that I can face my past with my head held high. I can face her knowing that I'm no longer that person and I can atone for those mistakes without feeling their weight. Because I'm better than I was and that has to matter."

Noticing the stupid grin that Charming shot at her, Regina became defensive. "What?" she asked a little too sharply.

Charming shook his head exasperatedly. "You've come a long way Regina. That's all."

Regina snorted. "I know, if someone had told me three years ago that I'd be plotting to save you and Snow from the Evil Queen, I'd have had them locked in the asylum."

The front door bursting open interrupted any response Charming might have had.

"Mom! Gramps!" An overly excited Henry exclaimed as he barged into the apartment. "I think I figured it out!" Slamming his book onto the island between them, Henry continued rambling. "I've been going over and over ways that might work to break a curse like this. But so far nothing I've come up with has been practical. But I think I've finally got the answer."

"Whoa, slow down there buddy," Charming finally interjected ending Henry's stream of irrelevant information. "What exactly have you figured out?"

Wide brown eyes looked up from the book and focused on the two adults. "How to break the curse on you and Grandma Snow," Henry gushed.

"Are you sure?" Regina asked even as Charming yelled "What?"

"I'm almost positive," answered Henry.

"Explain," Regina ordered.

Smiling from ear to ear, Henry obliged. "So I started wondering if my powers as the author could be the key to fixing this."

To the surprise of no one, Charming interrupted. "I thought the author couldn't actually change the story like that. Don't you need special ink and a new book for something like that?"

"You're right," continued the ever patient Henry. "As the author I can't actually change the story without breaking certain rules, like what Isaac did. Nothing he did stuck because it wasn't real. I can influence a story or place objects or obstacles in someone's path, but outside of the sorcerer's apprentice I can't control the actions of a person."

"Why would it work with the apprentice?" David asked as he looked over Henry's shoulder at the book.

"Because the sorcerer's magic – and that of his apprentice – are tied to the author. Real life can't be changed by pen and paper," Regina replied, fielding this question to keep them on subject. Turning to Henry, she restored their conversation. "So what are you thinking? Is there an object that can help us?"

"No."

Regina's throat tightened at her son's certainty. Her dismay must have shown because Henry quickly picked back up on his original thread.

"But I think there might be a place. I've been going around collecting the stories of everyone from the Land of Untold Stories. And I think that could be the key! That realm is a land of eternal middle. All curses and illnesses and what not are dormant there. It's almost as if they don't exist, but they still do. The Count's girlfriend, Charlette, didn't die from poison until she left."

"Which means the poison was still in her system while she was there," Regina finished. "But that just means it was dormant not that it could have been cured there."

"Right," Henry agreed, "but a curse is different. I talked with Belle and according to her Rumpelstiltskin still had his powers in the Land of Untold Stories, but he didn't look like he did in the Enchanted Forest. So his curse was still present, it just didn't manifest in the same way."

"And you think that could be the key for Snow and me?" Charming added finally catching up.

Henry's excitement became palpable as the adults caught on. "Yes! The curse would still be present, but it wouldn't manifest in the same manner. Both of you would be awake and if you shared True Love's Kiss then you could end the curse."

"Could this really work," David asked.

Regina quickly went over Henry's reasoning once again. He'd obviously put some thought and research into this idea of his and, in all truthfulness, it seemed to be a solid plan.

"I think it could," Regina answered.

David ruffled Henry's hair affectionately while laughing. "You're a genius kid!"

Regina allowed them a few moments of light heartedness before bringing them back down to earth. "The question now is how do we get there."

"A portal," said David as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"But how do we create a portal?" Henry asked while shooting a knowing smirk at Regina.

"We could get the sorcerer's wand from Rumple," Regina suggested.

"Yeah, but at what cost?" retorted Charming.

"Is there a cost too high?" Regina countered.

"Of course not!" said David holding his hands out placatingly. "But I'd rather not owe Rumpelstiltskin if I can help it. Is there another way?"

Fortunately, Henry had the answer once again. "Jefferson. Ches said that Ruby and Belle were trying to talk Jefferson into creating a new hat."

"Not possible," Regina began, but Henry cut her off before she could continue.

"Apparently it is. According to Ches all they need is for Rumpelstiltskin to jump start it."

"Which takes us back to square one," a crestfallen Charming remarked.

"Rumple may be our best chance either way," Regina pointed out in a soft voice. She could certainly understand Charming's apprehension, but she also knew he'd do anything to get Snow back.

"I know," Charming agreed. "I just don't like it."

"Well we have to go through Jefferson first anyway," said Regina as she stood from the bar stool. "And you'll have to deal with him because he won't deal with me. You handle the hatter. I'll handle Rumpelstiltskin."

Thankful for the momentary showing of good fortune, Charming, Henry, and Regina left the apartment to search for the resident mad hatter.

* * *

Walking along Main Street Belle contemplated her options. She could simply the slide the yellow envelope under the Pawn Shop door and turn away or she could do the brave thing and go inside to hand it to her ex-husband in person. She'd held onto the picture for days as she agonized over this decision. Regardless of what she chose, she had to do something today. Everything within her screamed to take the easy way out. That he didn't really deserve the sonogram picture in the first place. He'd never chosen them over his power, so why should she choose to share this with him?

Even as those thoughts crossed her mind, Belle knew them to be vindictive and yet she couldn't help them. Lately all she saw in Rumpelstiltskin was the beast she'd once so hoped to banish. Ever since the Underworld he'd proven himself to be the very man she'd hoped he'd left behind after the darkness had been removed. But the longer she clung to that hope, the longer she fooled herself into believing Rumpelstiltskin could ever change.

Ches's recent appearance and story seemed to be an adequate reason to keep any child far away from the Dark One. And Rumpelstiltskin's own parenting history had some rather impressive stains on it. Perhaps the man she'd thought she'd fallen in love with had never existed. Because here lately, nothing about Rumpelstiltskin seemed very lovable.

By the time Belle made it to the Pawn Shop, she'd decided to just slide the envelope under the door and leave. It was like she'd told Snow earlier in the week, she couldn't trust Rumple and with that loss of trust came a wish for distance. To her great dismay though, it seemed as if fate intervened against her. As she bent to take the easy way out the door swung open revealing the last person she wanted to see.

"Belle," Rumpelstiltskin sounded surprised to see her at his doorstep. "What… what're you doing here?"

Taking a deep breath, Belle righted herself and faced her former True Love. "I just wanted to drop this off for you," she said extending the envelope in her hand.

Fear and dismay crossed Rumple's features too quickly for him to hide. Had she been anyone else, she might not even have noticed. But she'd fought for every inch of this man's heart and thus knew him well enough to decipher his expressions with ease.

"Are those…" Rumple swallowed nervously and cast his gaze downwards, eyeing the yellow envelope with resignation. "Why don't you come inside for this chat." He said finally, stepping aside to allow her entrance.

Belle hesitated for several long moments as she tried to make up her mind. Walking into his shop would almost certainly lead to yet another fight between them. But she also couldn't reject his offer after seeing how distressed he'd been over a simple envelope. Whatever misconception he had needed to be cleared up in private. Bolstering her courage and guarding her heart, Belle walked into Rumple's shop.

Rumpelstiltskin walked behind the far counter using it as a physical barrier between the two of them. Despite his wish to discuss things in private, he obviously lacked hope in their ability to stay civil as well. Sighing heavily he finally looked up and met her eyes. Though he tried to hide his emotions behind the masks he wore so well, Belle could see the despair written plainly in his warm brown eyes. He didn't expect this to go well.

"Is that what I think it is?" He asked in a voice that attempted to be nonchalant but didn't quite make it.

"What do you think it is?" Belle responded curiously.

"You've not worn your ring in a long time," he said bracing himself on the counter and allowing her full view of the wedding ring still on his finger, "I'm surprised it's taken you this long." Rumple seemed to steel himself for his next words. "I want you to know that, that I'll… take care of you, both of you. Whatever you need. All you have to do is ask. And I'll cover any legal fees as well, you shouldn't have to worry about of that."

Completely confused and needing to end his rambling, Belle cut in. "What are you talking about?"

"You want a divorce," he muttered indicating the envelope in her hand once again.

The pieces clicked together at once, causing Belle to huff in exasperation. Of course he always thought of the worst outcome first. "That's not what this is, Rumple."

"It's not?"

"No."

"Then why…?"

Belle rolled her eyes in what she knew to be an unkind fashion, but one she couldn't help. "Our marriage has been over for a while now I think we can both agree on that. And I don't need your help, I've already been perfectly clear about that as well. I don't need legal documents to tell me it's over."

Rumple's face fell into something between disappointment and confusion. "What if you want to move on with someone else, then you'll need it to be official."

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it," Belle asserted, dismissing his concerns with an ease that felt wrong.

"I just want you to be happy."

"I just wish you'd thought of that sooner," Belle bit back.

Bowing his head in shame, Rumpelstiltskin nodded. "Me too," he replied so softly she almost missed it.

Desperately needing to change the subject, Belle pressed onward. "This is a picture of the sonogram I had earlier in the week."

"You had a sonogram?"

"I did. I thought… well I thought you might like a copy," she finished lamely, sliding the picture across the countertop.

Rumpelstiltskin pulled the sonogram from the envelope with utmost care. Watching his fingers delicately caress the first picture of their child pulled at something in Belle's heart that she hadn't felt in weeks. And the crooked grin that pulled at his features didn't help matters. Knowing she couldn't give in to these urges, Belle leaned over the counter as well and began pointing out the features of their child.

"See there," she asked as she trailed her finger across a small patch of white, "that's his head. And down here are his fingers and toes. According to Dr. Whale, he's perfectly healthy."

"He's strong," Rumple observed, "just like his mother."

For the first time that day, Belle allowed herself to embrace the moment. Here she was having a perfectly civil moment with the father of her child, her True Love. For a few short minutes the chasm between them seemed smaller and more manageable. As if maybe it could be breached one day. Leaning in close to the man who'd held her heart for so many years, Belle felt as if they might even be able to make this work.

If only Rumpelstiltskin would give up his power.

Reality slammed back to her like a freight train. The little voice in the back of her head reminded her that he couldn't be trusted. That the man she thought she loved didn't really exist. The man before her was little more than a beast in human clothing. Rumpelstiltskin had proven that time and time again.

"Yes well as your son, he'll have to be," she answered standing straight again and taking a couple of steps back. Being near to Rumple clouded her judgement and she couldn't allow that anymore. She had to think about more than just herself now.

"Belle," a crestfallen Rumpelstiltskin began.

But Belle didn't give him the chance to defend himself. "With all the enemies you've made, I'll be surprised if he even makes it to term without incident. Who knows what evil awaits him after that?"

"No one is going to hurt him Belle," Rumple promised, "I'll make certain of that."

"I'm sure you will," Belle spat, "and what cost will he pay for that? Are you going to trap him on a boat as well? Lock him away from everyone and everything?"

"Belle-"

"I really don't want to hear it Rumple."

Despite his reputation for being the fiercest and most powerful sorcerer in the world, at the moment, Rumpelstiltskin looked as if one more word from her might send him to pieces. As if she could save or destroy his very soul.

Hating herself for her cruel words, but unable to fault their truth, Belle spun on her heels and left Rumpelstiltskin to the trinkets and darkness of his pawn shop.

* * *

All in all it had been a pretty good day for Cheshire. He'd finally managed to cart all of the books the elementary kids had returned, he'd cleaned out the old storage room with only one or two mishaps, and he'd even had a pleasant lunch with Henry Mills. The teenage author was really starting to grow on him. Admittedly, Ches hadn't had a friend his own age (well at least the age he looked) in many years, if ever. He and Alice hadn't gotten on well enough, but then she'd gone and gotten involved with that thief and then the genie. Cheshire simply didn't have time for such drama in his life.

In direct contrast, Henry Mills provided a breath of fresh air. The teen's consistent optimism and cheeky humor melded well with Ches's jaded world view and snark. He'd have to be careful not to step on the toes of his newest friend whilst attempting to rid the world of its evils. Henry had a fair sense of right and wrong and had a good head on his shoulders. The teen might protest over some of the clerics work, but in the end, he'd see the truth. In the end, they all would.

The icing on the cake for Cheshire's day came in the form of an exceedingly distressed librarian who seemed hell bent on criticizing her husband. Which just so happened to be one of Ches's favorite past times.

"Hey there boss lady," he smiled as Belle flung her purse under the counter and sank heavily onto the circulation desk. "Got everything finished for today and I even tackled that stubborn storage room we've been intending to get to."

"Slow day?" she asked kindly though her attention was obviously focused elsewhere.

"Pretty much. The only highlight of the day was old Ms. Charles looking for a book on, and I quote, slightly smaller than abnormally sized footwear. Apparently, they're downsizing."

That comment earned him the slightest of chuckles from Belle. Despite her attempt to appear interested in his day, Cheshire could tell that she was lost in her own mind.

"What's up with you today boss lady?" he queried, not even needing to feign curiosity.

"It's nothing Ches," said Belle as she began pulling books from the drop off box.

"That's not a nothing kind of face," he protested.

Belle paused in her pointless pursuit of distraction to finally turn her full attention on her protégé. "You're too observant for your own good you know."

"So I've been told. By multiple sources in fact."

Having a rather decent idea of who had upset her, Cheshire tried once again to pry into her problems. "You don't have to talk to me about whatever it is bugging you Ms. Belle," he said gently. "But if you want someone to talk to..."

He almost had her, he could tell. She was so desperate to feel validated in her anger and so confused about the hatred that now marred every thought of her estranged husband. Belle considered herself to be so intelligent, it only made her that much easier to manipulate.

For the briefest moment, something shifted in her gaze. Something almost like suspicion before the charm he'd given her reminded her to trust him. _Handy that_ , he thought before Belle jumped into her explanation.

"I had another row with Rumple," she admitted.

"What did he do this time?" Ches bemoaned, pulling himself up on the counter beside her.

"It's just…" Belle sighed. "I can't trust him and now, apparently, I can't even trust myself around him. We can't have anything close to a civil conversation, even when it involves the child we're about to bring into this world."

Belle's frustration only intensified as her rant continued. By the time she'd finished Ches could tell she'd worked herself into a proper indignant mood.

Fixing her with eyes that promised understanding and compassion, Cheshire continued his work. "You have every right not to trust him Belle! I'm more confused as to why you keep trying to make things work with him. All he's done is hurt you further."

"It's complicated," she insisted.

"Then uncomplicate it for me."

"I can't take his child away from him."

"And why is that?"

Her brows drew together at his question. "That would be cruel."

"Crueler than allowing the Dark One access to a child?" Ches argued. "I'm like the poster child for why that's a bad idea, Belle."

"Rumple…" she seemed to weigh her next words carefully. "Rumple's made a lot of mistakes. A lot. Of mistakes. But before Zelena, he was getting better. The witch and Baelfire's death changed him… I can't… he can't lose another child, Ches. It would destroy him."

Carefully Ches hire took one of her hands into his. "Belle," he began softly, hesitating slightly to add a little compassion to his words. "I know I'm biased here, so you're going to take everything I say with a grain of salt. I grew up in the Dark Castle," that wasn't a lie, "and it wasn't a good childhood. I've been around the Dark One as a kid and he has his charming moments. But he also has a ridiculous temper and he always has an agenda. When I got in the way of that agenda, he cursed me."

"But you weren't his child," Belle argued stubbornly. "I'm sorry, that was insensitive."

"No offense taken," Cheshire chuckled lightly. "I feel I might have gotten lucky in that respect. As protective as he could be over me, I can only imagine what he might do to his actual child."

"Rumple can be a bit misguided when it comes to protecting his family."

"A bit misguided doesn't do it justice Belle. He locked you up on a boat! He used to keep me confined to a specific wing of the Dark Castle for days when he felt like something was amiss. Just imagine what he would do to his child!"

Belle's heart and mind were at war behind her quiet façade. One more little push then.

"Just imagine what he did to poor Baelfire," Ches said planting the idea more firmly in her head. "Is there anything he wouldn't do to "protect" his family? Not to mention what he'd do to you if he thought you'd become a danger to the child."

That seemed to register with the bookworm.

"What do you mean?"

"Say for instance he knew about this little conversation," Ches supplied. "What do you think he'd do about it?"

"I don't think he'd…"

"What? You don't think he'd try to stop you? By any means necessary."

"He couldn't-"

"Because his moral compass is so good at directions?"

"He wouldn't hurt me."

"Not even if he thought _you_ were the danger to his child?" Ches paused allowing that to sink in. "I heard a very intriguing story about the birth of Zelena's child. How the pregnancy was sped up by a vindictive Dark One. Doesn't take much imagination to see Rumpelstiltskin sinking to that level now does it."

Belle's eyes went wide at the implication, but some obstinate part of her still resisted. "He'd never hurt a child."

Cheshire laughed without any humor to color his tone. "You're not a child and if you go by that logic then neither was I. And I guess Baelfire wasn't either?"

He could tell the moment that he'd convinced her.

* * *

All in all it had been a bloody terrible day for Rumpelstiltskin. So far, he'd contended with Maleficent's warning and all its implications and then with an increasingly moody Belle. He'd been paid a visit by Thomas Herman, who'd insisted – with all the arrogance such royals were known for – that Gold's pawnshop must have some family heirloom or another. He'd only managed to get the obstinate boy to back down by threatening to turn him into something small and slime.

And just when he'd thought it couldn't get any worse, his least favorite cat sauntered through the shop door.

"I'm sorry, but we don't serve patrons who aren't up to date on their rabies shots," Rumpelstiltskin quipped at the sight of the arrogant young man.

Unnaturally white teeth shown through Cheshire's large smile. "Lucky for you, I'm up to date," the boy laughed. "I may even still have the paperwork somewhere if you'd like to check."

His old apprentice was nothing if not quick. Rumple had to give him that. "I'll take your word for it. Though I still must insist you leave."

"And hear I thought you'd be excited to reminisce a bit," Cheshire pouted.

"I've found it's usually best to leave the past were it lies. Keeps things from getting messy."

Cheshire strolled through the shop, looking in the large glass showcases and generally sticking his nose into anything he could. Much like a cat.

"I prefer things messy," he finally responded. "Keeps things from getting boring."

"Just as I'm sure you enjoy chasing mice and knocking things off countertops," Rumple quipped as his temper began getting the better of him.

Cheshire merely chuckled. "Calm down Dark One, I'm here to help."

The mischief which lurked in the teen's eyes said differently.

"I thought you were here to destroy me."

"Patience Rumple. We'll get to that in due time," the cat all but purred. "No, I'm here on behalf of that little wife of yours. Is she still your wife?"

Rumpelstiltskin felt the world shudder to a stop. "What have you done to Belle?"

"Me?" Ches simpered. "I haven't done anything. The question is, what've you done to her?" Malicious glee filled Cheshire at the discomfort Rumple couldn't hide. "She came into the library all wound up. Kept going on about how she couldn't trust you but that she was terrified of what you might do to the child or her. Seemed quite desperate."

"And I'm sure you helped assuage her fears, didn't you?"

Placing a hand to his chest, the teen put on an affronted expression. "I simply did my duty as both employee and friend. Reminisced with her, if you would. She seemed quite upset when she left. Last I saw her she was headed towards that old farmhouse on the edge of town. Friend of yours?"

As panic threatened to overwhelm Rumpelstiltskin, he didn't notice Cheshire slip a longer slender wand under his cloak. Belle couldn't be so foolish as to trust the witch, again could she?

"Well," Cheshire said, "I've done my part by giving you fair warning. Good luck."

Rumple hardly realized his former apprentice had left. His mind had whirred to life and began chasing the many paths this could potentially end in. Belle had been clear earlier that she still didn't trust him, but surely, she didn't equate a lack of trust to taking his child from him. She'd brought him a sonogram. That had to mean something.

Yet every path that he followed showed him losing his child all over again. A child he'd never even get the chance to know him. Belle meant to take their child and run as far from him as she could. Had it been only Belle, he would have let her. He had no right to keep her and she'd proven time and again that despite her best attempts she just couldn't love him.

But now she wanted to take his child as well.

Rumpelstiltskin's chest tightened even as an unbearable weight settled across his shoulders. He couldn't allow her to do that. He couldn't lose another child. One that he could do right by from the start and one that might perhaps love him unconditionally as Bae had done so many years ago.

* * *

She'd trusted the witch once again. It hurt to see that Belle trusted the woman who'd caused him so much pain over the man she'd once claimed as he true love. Yet here they stood, on opposite sides once again. This time though, Rumple knew he held the high ground. Belle had tried to run off to some gods forsaken land. A place where there would be no one and no help. And he'd once thought her so intelligent.

If he focused on his anger long enough, he might even be able to forget where he stood and who stood beside his wife. Leaning on that anger and nothing else, he snapped the bracelet he'd crafted onto Belle's wrist, ensuring he'd be able to find her – and more importantly their child – no matter where Belle went.

"You can't stop me from leaving," she spat as he released her arm and stepped back.

"I think I just did," he replied indicating the jewelry she now couldn't remove. "And I certainly don't regret it. What were you thinking Belle?"

"That anywhere is better than being near you."

Rumple couldn't quite mask his flinch at the harsh words. But he had to make her understand the danger she'd very nearly placed herself in. "You're so desperate to get away from me that you'd willingly put our child in danger?"

Belle rolled her eyes at his pleas. "I'm not the one who's a danger to my child."

"Yes," Rumple snapped as his anger rose, unbidden, to meet hers, "because the Enchanted Forest is the best place to have a baby. The world where few others live, and which hasn't even discovered penicillin yet. Not to mention that birthing a child in that world without help is practically a death sentence for mother and child. No danger at all."

"I would have figured it out," she replied stubbornly. Folding her arms across her chest and squaring her shoulders, she prepared for a fight that Rumpelstiltskin no longer had the will to wage.

"As long as I have a say in the matter you'll be in a land with actual doctors."

"You've lost any say you might once have had."

"How Belle?" he cried. How could he have lost it when all he'd done was what she wanted. He'd screwed up with Hyde, he could admit that. But in everything else, he'd done everything she'd asked. "Was it when I got Hades to break the contract or was it when I did everything in my power to wake you from your self-induced sleeping curse? When I changed everything about myself and became the man you always wanted and that still wasn't enough? Please explain it to me Belle."

"Your actions pushed me to those decisions, and you know it," she artfully evaded his point.

A long pregnant pause slid between them, filling the space with palpable tension. "You can't take this child from me Belle. I will fight you every step of the way in this."

"I almost won today," Belle affirmed anger coating every word. "And next time I will run so fast and so far, that you will never even set eyes on this child."

He couldn't help himself as the anger that had been building since their conversation earlier in the day boiled over. Belle knew just how much those words would sting. Intentionally keeping him from his own child, his second chance. The voices of the curse called for her blood as she dared to threaten him. And while Rumpelstiltskin might be accustomed to ignoring those voices, he couldn't stop the words that flew from his mouth. "Let me remind you dearie," the Dark One hissed, "that Rumpelstiltskin takes children. Not the other way around."

"Tell that to your first born," Zelena taunted from the side without hesitation.

Rage blinded Rumpelstiltskin as the woman who murdered his son dared to speak of Baelfire. Here in this house where she'd used the dagger to hurt and force humiliation on him so many times. "You do not get to speak," Rumpelstiltskin growled throwing up a hand to choke the horrid witch. He and his curse were in complete agreement that she at least deserved death.

Pain slammed into his chest as soon as her airway closed. White flashed across Rumpelstiltskin's vision as he let the witch go and stumbled back into the refrigerator. His hand shooting to his chest as he fell to the floor, pain blocking out almost everything else.

As if from a great distance away he heard voices speaking around him.

"Wh-what's happening?" Belle asked with something almost like concern ghosting through her voice.

"That is called a heart attack." Zelena explained smugly. "I think that he forgot that his little ticker only tocks thanks to me." The witch moved closer to him and Rumpelstiltskin felt his mind collapsing around him. All of the walls and blocks that he'd carefully crafted since his time with Zelena shattered. In their wake memories assaulted him. Memories of him on his knees at her feet, of being trapped in a cage, and locked away from the few who cared about him, of Baelfire dying slowly in his arms.

Zelena crouched in front of him leaning forward until their faces were centimeters apart. "See when I saved your life back in that New York hospital I didn't do it out of the kindness of my heart. We had a deal remember."

She was far too close, and he couldn't force his legs to stand. Horrifying recollections continued to hound him. Shadows of violation in this house danced around him even as the ghosts of unwanted hands clung to him. "So, whenever you hurt me," she laughed. "You're only hurting yourself."

It was too much to handle. Too much like before when he'd been helpless and unable to stop her from hurting him. Pain still blossomed in his chest, but now it was the memories keeping him on the ground. "Please don't," Rumpelstiltskin gasped without realizing the quiet plea had escaped. She'd spent a year torturing him, violating and degrading him at every turn. He couldn't take it again. His mind had taken him back to that cage and he'd yet to find his way back out. "Please stop... Don't, don't touch me," he stammered weakly, throwing his hands up in front of him in hopes of keep her at bay. Knowing it wouldn't be enough to keep the witch away. It never had been.

Zelena simply snorted, laughing in that dark quiet manner that always promised more pain. But before she could speak, Belle cut in. "Zelena, what's going on?"

 _She shouldn't be here_ , Rumpelstiltskin thought. Zelena would hurt her, he knew that to be a fact. She'd taunted him with the many ways she could force him to hurt Belle. _She has to leave_ , he thought."Belle?" he muttered but his voice was too quiet to hear over Zelena's.

"He's having a heart attack because he attacked me, Belle," the witch was saying. Why was she talking to Belle like a friend? "When we were in New York we made a deal. His life for mine. That kind of contract strikes a specific magical toll. If he hurts me, he hurts himself."

As the two talked Rumpelstiltskin slowly managed to pull himself back to the present. Realization that he'd broken down completely in front of Zelena and Belle caused his face to burn in humiliation. Deciding he'd been shamed enough, the Dark One pulled himself to his feet. The pain was gone, but his rage had only grown. He'd never wanted Belle to see him like that, never wanted her to have any idea of all that Zelena had done to him. Of the many ways he'd betrayed her.

Both women turned to him as he stood. Refusing to look at his wife, Rumpelstiltskin focused all his being into the burning hatred he felt for his former student. "This isn't finished dearie," the Dark One promised danger mixing with exhaustion to make his tone less threatening than he'd hoped.

"I certainly hope not," Zelena answered brazenly.

With a wave of his hand and some colorful smoke, Rumpelstiltskin found himself once again back in his shop. Collapsing onto the cot in the back, his heart rate slowed as he regained his composure. Taking his head into his hands the Dark One was surprised to find tears streaming down his face and shame cut through him once more. Had he so completely lost control at the witch's home?

Rumpelstiltskin had known going there would be unpleasant, but he hadn't had a choice. For whatever reason Belle had chosen Zelena as her confidant in trying to escape from her estranged husband. Anyone else might have talked her into staying in Storybrooke where she would get the best possible care for her child instead of jumping into a realm that had never even heard of bacteria. But no, Zelena was rash enough to aid her. The witch probably also reveled in the knowledge that such actions would hurt her former teacher.

A desperate, inhuman groan escaped from him as he contemplated how to handle this latest offense. Zelena had to go. That much was for certain. He'd been on pens and needles since her return. Waiting for the moment that she attempted to reclaim his dagger. Rumpelstiltskin fully agreed with his curse in the thought that he would never be safe until Zelena was safely dead.

But how did he accomplish that without driving Belle even further from him? There was also now a child to consider. Zelena's was safe from him, he would never willfully hurt a child. But was his safe from her? He'd already lost Bae to that horrid woman, he refused to lose another. Yet acting against Zelena would almost certainly lead to Belle leaving him for good. Could he sacrifice his relationship with Belle for the sake of their child?

Rumpelstiltskin knew the answer to that question almost without hesitation. And it scared him to no end.

* * *

Belle stood in Zelena's kitchen completely bewildered by the scene that had just unfolded in front of her. Zelena had explained the magic behind Rumpelstiltskin's heart attack, but that didn't rationalize his reaction. He'd been terrified and completely cowed, pleading with the woman he despised the most.

Her husband hadn't told her about his meeting with Zelena in New York. And, not for the first time, Belle wondered if perhaps there was more about his relationship with the witch that he hadn't shared as well. Rumpelstiltskin had always been closed off, but he'd been so much worse after his time as a prisoner in the storm cellar of this very house. Belle had never asked for details about his experiences during the missing year and she knew that her husband had been more than happy about that. But she'd woken him from enough nightmares to know that it hadn't been pleasant.

Maybe if they'd talked back then, they wouldn't be in this current mess. Suddenly standing in Zelena's kitchen didn't feel like the right place to be anymore. The beauty knew that she couldn't face Rumpelstiltskin right now, but she also knew that being here was wrong. "I should go," she said in a quiet voice looking up at the former ruler of Oz.

"I'm sorry it didn't work, Belle," the witch offered walking over to the pregnant woman and placing a hand on her arm. "Truly. Between you, me, and the cat we'll find a way to stop him. I promise." Redeemed or not, Belle didn't like the sinister glint that flickered through Zelena's eyes or the hungry set of her mouth. Something about the situation felt off to the bookworm.

But she didn't say anything of that sort to Zelena. Instead she plastered the most grateful look she could onto her face and smiled. "Thank you Zelena. For all of your help."

"Of course."

"I'm sorry, it's been a long night. I think I'll head home and think through all of this tomorrow," the beauty proposed.

Zelena simply nodded. "If you need anything at all Belle. Feel free to stop by again."

The words sounded so sincere. Perhaps they were, but as Belle walked out the front door and into the night she knew that her time seeking help from the witch was over.

 _A/N: Thank you guys for reading and please let me know what you think in the reviews above or the comments below! Next up: Mal sees something she shouldn't, Rumple says something he shouldn't, Ches continues doing many things he shouldn't, and Zelena gets a rude awakening._

 _Thanks as always and I'll see you guys in the next chapter!_


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